The Way You Left
by Quinn Thomas
Summary: It has been more than five years since Kakashi has last seen her. He had hoped that he never would again. That hope is dashed when he discovered that the Hokage summoned her to return to the village. How will his life change now that she is back in it? Can he learn to trust a defector?
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

They were tracking her. Like hounds after a fox, the four ANBU operatives were tailing her. She hadn't been certain before, had thought maybe they were simply passing by. Lilia had been camped in a cave, a small fire right at the back provided warmth. She thought it had been hidden, the light wasn't visible from outside of the cave. When her perimeter alarms alerted her to the presence of the ANBU she had remained hidden, waiting to see if they would pass by. They didn't. They must have smelled the smoke and come looking for the source or perhaps they had been tracking her for longer.

No, that was impossible. She had become exceptionally skilled at covering her tracks over the last 5 years. But Lilia wasn't stupid, she wouldn't take chances and underestimate them. When the operatives hadn't passed out of her perimeter within the expected time period, Lilia had decided it was time to leave. She had snatched up her small pack, her black cloak embroidered with red clouds and the fish on a stick that had been roasting on the fire. The cave had a small exit at the back, small enough that even her petite, 5"4' frame struggled to get through. Once out, she took to the trees, not bothering to extinguish the fire. If they were tracking her, it wouldn't make a difference and if they weren't it might make them pause enough to let her escape.

Leaping from branch to branch, Lilia made the hand sign for the shadow clone jutsu, never breaking her stride. The 3 clones appeared with a soft 'poof' and dashed off in different directions. Knowing that this wouldn't be enough to fool ANBU skilled enough to have found her, she set to work, placing genjutsu traps and exploding tags. Not once did her stride falter. Her hands flew deftly through the necessary seals. Once she was certain she had placed enough to at least buy her time to escape, she focused her eyes on the trees speeding towards her.

"Sharingan." She whispered. At once, the forest came alive. The tree's seemed to sway to a number of wind currents, a squirrel dashed into her path and then didn't, a bird dived and caught a mouse but didn't. Everywhere she looked she saw possibilities. But that wasn't what Lilia focused on. Drawing a deep breath, she concentrated, allowing her instincts to guide her through the forest. She dragged something up from within, a taint in her bloodline, a marker that she was not pure Uchiha. The shades of the trees and animals around her became darker, the colour seeming to drain. As the colour drained, the picture in her mind grew, encompassing a near 360 degree field of vision. She focused even more, ignoring the hundreds of possibilities that played out before her as her vision grew. Finally, she found them. They were close. Too close. And avoiding her traps. She cursed under her breath. They were good and she would have to try harder if she wanted to escape. Something caught her attention, to the right of the group of 4 ANBU. A wolf? No, a dog. Her heart fell and she nearly lost the Byakugan. A dog. Did that mean Hatake- no, she would have picked up on his chakra signal. An Inuzuka then. She recognized another of the chakra signals. Even though it was familiar to her, frustratingly she couldn't place it. Not that it mattered, with the Inuzuka able to sniff her out there was no way she was escaping this one. She would have to fight. Lilia dropped the Byakugan as her head began to pound with the effort of holding it. The colours returned but Lilia kept her Sharingan active. She didn't want to fight them, she didn't want to risk hurting them. Perhaps she could trick them? Either way, she was going to have to face them. Stopping dead on a branch and spinning on her heel, she turned and awaited their arrival.

Genma released another trap, this one genjutsu based. He had known it would be hard to keep up with the missing nin but he hadn't known it would be this difficult. They were incredibly skilled at evasion and trap setting. If it hadn't been for the Inuzuka's hound they would have run straight past the camp.

As the group had come upon a small cave, a fire still burning happily at the back, Genma started to get an itch. It was the sort of itch that suggested something wasn't right. Tsunade had gathered the group of 4 together only 2 days previously. Genma hadn't known any of the other 3 in the team and their grouping seemed odd. At first glance, it didn't seem as though their strengths complimented each other. The Inuzuka was a good tracker but was a new recruit, only recently entering the ANBU ranks. Then there was Izumo, Genma wasn't even sure he was ANBU but there he was in the uniform. The guy was good with a shuriken and he was fast but speed didn't seem to matter when in a 4 man cell. The third was a Hyuuga from the branch clan. Although technically the branch clan didn't exist anymore, the guy still acted as though the world had done him some great injustice. He wouldn't even give the team his name. And then there was Genma himself, he was skilled with poisons and genjutsu (his worth was becoming more obvious the more genjutsu traps he disarmed). All in all, the team seem a bit rag tag.

What was even more bizarre was that although Tsunade had informed them they were to track and retrieve a missing nin, she hadn't specified which missing nin they were to retrieve. It wasn't for lack of questioning on his behalf! For some reason Tsunade had not deemed that important enough information to share with the group. In fact, the only concrete information Tsunade had given them was the message they had to deliver before engaging the missing nin and the directive that whoever it was, was not to be seriously injured or killed.

"She's stopped." The monotone voice of the Hyuuga surprised Genma so much he nearly lost his footing as he leapt to another branch.

"She?" Kiba gave a derisive snort. "I didn't think we had any missing Kunoichi?"

"Are you questioning my eyes?" The Hyuuga snapped.

"Eyes front and cut the chatter." Genma barked. He wasn't in the mood for any more of their bickering. The Inuzuka and Hyuuga had not hit it off. He picked up a chakra signal a short way ahead. It wasn't strong but that could be because she was masking it. Whoever she was. Truth be told, Genma couldn't think of any female missing nin either. He mentally scanned the bingo book but drew a blank. Maybe she wasn't in it? Could be a low level missing nin. Would explain why Tsunade felt it appropriate to send lower level ANBU, would be good experience for them.

"I've got a bad feeling about this. Something isn't right." Izumo adjusted his mask slightly, speaking low so only Genma could hear.

"You and me both." Genma refocused ahead, the chakra signal wasn't moving. Was she looking to fight them? They would find out soon enough. A niggling thought began to worm its way to the fronts of his mind. Why wasn't Kakashi here? Usually the copy-nin was Tsunade's go-to guy for rounding up missing nin. Even low level. He would be able to provide the rookies with some good training too. Genma forced the thought away as the group of 4 began to fan out. They were almost on top of their target now. Genma led the way, clearing another branch, and stopped dead. He could see their target clearly now. She was stood, frozen on a branch just ahead of them, black and red cloak of the Akatsuki hanging from one hand, the other supporting the strap of her pack. Her eyes were trained on them and Genma avoided meeting the eerie red and black gaze, he hoped the others had the sense to so the same. He would have called out a warning but he didn't want to trigger her.

Genma's heart was in his throat, how could Tsunade have sent such an inexperienced team after someone like her? Her profile in the bingo book was sharp in his mind now. Lilia Uchiha, Sharingan user, very much S-Class. At least he understood now, why Tsunade hadn't sent Kakashi.

* * *

Lilia leapt lightly and quietly to the forest floor, the ANBU followed immediately. She scanned each of the spread out ANBU in front of her, attempting eye contact with each of the four. They were inexperienced. Two of them had met her gaze, even though their masks partially hid their eyes, they could not be hidden from her Sharingan. She recognized one chakra signal, the one in the bird mask, as belonging to a Hyuuga, though not one she knew. He must be young, at least new to ANBU as he had met her gaze and held it. The operative directly opposite her was wearing a fox mask and was one of the two that hadn't met her eyes, his chakra signal was the familiar one she couldn't place. Why would the village send such an inexperienced team after her? They must have stumbled across her by accident and decided to give chase. She would end this quickly, disable them long enough to make good her escape.

Lilia flicked her gaze to the operative with the dog, aptly wearing a dog mask. He would be the most troublesome one as he could track her. The second his eyes met with hers, he crumpled to the floor. The operative beside him, the one in the cat mask, gave a yelp and ran toward him. The large white dog sprang forward, in front of its fallen master and bared its teeth at her, growling protectively. The Hyuuga, despite a warning yell from the fox mask operative charged her. Lilia jumped back lightly, avoiding him as he attempted to shut down her chakra pathways. She sprang into the air and flipped over him, landing not far away. Lilia summoned her chakra as her hands flew through the hand signs necessary for an earth jutsu. As the Hyuuga span and tried to follow her, the roots of the trees around them shot out and wrapped around his limbs, pulling him back and pinning him to the trunk of a large oak.

A kunai whizzed past her ear as Lilia managed to avoid it by a scant inch. The one in the cat mask launched a second kunai at her, this one with an explosive tag on it. Idiot! If that thing exploded it risked injuring his team mate she had trapped against the tree. Instead of dodging the kunai and allowing it to explode, Lilia caught the kunai and in one fluid movement, threw it away to a safe distance. It exploded in the air.

"Watch where you throw those things, idiot! You're going to get me killed." The Hyuuga shouted out angrily, fighting against the roots that held him.

"Sorry!" The cat mask cringed away. Lilia frowned. How the hell, were these guys even ANBU? Standards had seriously dropped since she had been in the black ops.

Suddenly, the Hyuuga broke free and lunged for her. She twisted her body, avoiding his blow. With a mental apology she feinted with a right punch and kneed him in the groin. The Hyuuga dropped immediately, groaning in pain. Lilia looked to the fox and cat masks. The cat was in a defensive stance whilst the fox looked ready to leap to his comrade's aid. She decided it was time to make her get away. As she turned to flee, a familiar voice spoke out.

"Lilia Uchiha?" The voice was gravelly, she could detect the nervousness in the tone of voice but there was also uncertainty there. No doubt he had realised that she was avoiding killing them. She ignored voice and started to run up the side of a tree, chakra holding her against gravity.

"Lilia!" The voice called out, sharper now and more confident. "Lady Tsuande, the Hokage, has a message for you." That made her pause. Lilia knew what the message would be. She had been waiting for the message for some time. Tsunade had been Hokage for a few years now, Lilia was surprised the message hadn't come sooner. She slowly turned back to face the ANBU, the one in the fox mask had moved closer, as though to give chase. His mask turned up to where she frozen halfway up the side of the tree.

"What is it?" Lilia asked.

"She said it's time you made good on you promise and time she made good on hers. We have been instructed to escort you back to the Hidden Leaf Village."

Lilia nodded. It was what she was expecting. That didn't stop her heart from leaping into her throat or her muscles from tensing in a fight or flight response. Fox mask must have noticed this. He held his hands in front of him, showing himself unarmed. Not that that meant much to a ninja but the gesture was designed to be placating, as one might do if trying to prevent a frightened animal from bolting. Lilia made the conscious effort to relax her body. She deactivated the Sharingan, her own placating gesture. She pushed off from the side of the tree and landed silently on the ground, facing the ANBU.

Fox mask stepped uncertainly towards her. The Hyuuga, aided by the cat mask groaned as they moved to stand beside their comrade. Dog mask was still out cold, though now led in the recovery position, his white hound sitting guard.

"I will come with you." Lilia was proud of how confident her voice sounded. Inside she was shaking. Lilia looked to Fox mask, expecting him to have relaxed slightly. He seemed as tense as before. He turned to the cat mask.

"Inform the Hokage." Cat mask nodded once, dropping the arm of the Hyuuga. The Hyuuga stumbled slightly as Cat mask turned on his heel and sprinted off in the direction of the village. Lilia raised an eyebrow slightly at the speed of the man. Fox mask turned back to Lilia. He reached into a pouch on his hip and Lilia tensed, ready for a weapon to be drawn. Instead, he drew a set of handcuffs. As he approached Lilia, she crossed her arms and raised both eyebrows at him.

"No. No way. I am coming with you of my own free will, there is not a hope in hell you will get those on me."

"We have to-"

"I don't care." Lilia stared into the eye holes of the fox mask, just able to make out his brown eyes in the darkness.

"We will to go through the village," Fox mask continued as though she hadn't interrupted him. "We need to protect them."

"I'm not going to do anything to hurt the village."

"We don't know that!" The Hyuuga spat. "You attacked us and you might be using us to get to the village."

"Ok, firstly," Lilia turned to confront the Hyuuga and raised an index finger. "You attacked me, I defended myself and then saved your life from an exploding tag – secondly," Lilia ignored the man as he tried to protest and raised a second finger. "You tracked me down to bring me back to the village and I am going with you because I promised Tsunade I would. If I wanted to attack the village I would have done so by now and in the wake of the failed Chuunin exams."

The Hyuuga made to respond but Fox mask stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Lilia, please." His tone of voice, a cross between boredom and exasperation was so familiar. She stared a little longer at the eye holes before it finally clicked.

"Genma?" His shoulders tensed ever so slightly, giving her the answer. "Holy crap, Genma! No wonder you guys got through my traps. Should have known Tsunade would send you out after me." Despite the situation, Lilia smiled a genuine smile. It had been years since she had seen the man but he had been a good friend many years ago. She recognised the hesitation in his movements as he reached up and moved his mask to one side of his head, revealing familiar brown eyes and shaggy brown hair. The years had been good to him, well as good as they can be to a ninja - which usually means 'not dead'. But there was uncertainty and a tinge of fear in his eyes as he finally met her gaze. It reminded her of who she was and what she would face when she returned to the village.

"You seem well, Lilia."

"You two know each other?!" The Hyuuga screeched. The two ninja ignored him.

"I need you to put these on." Genma said. His voice was calm but his eyes searched hers. Lilia sighed, deciding it would be easier to simply go along with it and not wanting to cause an old friend any more distress. She nodded once and tucked her cloak through the straps of her pack so her hands were free. Lilia approached Genma and stood before him, hands outstretched and eyes never leaving his. Genma opened the cuffs and slid the cuffs on her wrists. As soon as they had clicked in place, Lilia picked up movement to her left and pain exploded through her cheekbone and across her face. She span, yacking her cuffed wrists free from Genma and activating the Sharingan. It didn't work. She tried again and again, the Sharingan wouldn't respond. Her chakra wasn't responding. Too late she realised the cuffs were blocking her chakra.

Genma swiftly moved between her and the Hyuuga.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Genma snapped, shoving the Hyuuga away as he tried to advance towards her again. Lilia fixed him with her best 'I'm going to maim you' face, the flesh of her left cheek throbbing. The Hyuuga stalled, clearly nervous of her despite the cuffs.

"She attacked me and kicked me in the groin." The Hyuuga was righteous in his anger. Lilia growled and stepped forwards. Genma placed a hand out and shot her a look out of the corner of his eye. It was a warning not to escalate the situation. Had it been anyone else, Lilia might have considered ignoring him. As it was she simply glared at the Hyuuga.

"You'll get more than that for blind siding me." She muttered under her breath.

"Go and get Inuzuka and start walking." Genma stared down the Hyuuga until he finally relented and moved away with a grunt of annoyance. Lilia watched as the large white dog bared its teeth when the man tried to approach his master, making the Hyuuga jump back in fear. Genma sighed in exasperation and rubbed a hand down his face.

"So, having fun with the new team?" Lilia gave him an innocent smile when he looked at her.

"Tonnes." He deadpanned.

"So, you won't mind if I 'relieve' you of the Hyuuga?" Lilia chuckled when Genma rubbed his chin as though seriously considering the suggestion. He seemed much more relaxed now she was in cuffs. The thought made her a little sad. "What's with calling Inuzuka by his real name? Don't ANBU do code names anymore?" Lilia enquired as she started to follow Genma who was striding towards where the Hyuuga was struggling with the large white dog.

"Oh yeah we do, but since you blew my cover," Genma smirked when she winced apologetically. "and since you would have already guessed he's at least affiliated with the Inuzuka clan because of the dog – I didn't see much point."

"Fair point."

"Akamaru. Down." Genma called out as they neared the Inuzuka. The large dog gave one more careful look to the Hyuuga and backed down, allowing his master to be hauled over the Hyuuga's shoulders.

"Can you wake him up?" Genma asked.

"Sure, just take the cuffs off." Lilia tried her best 'I'm harmless' smile. Genma only snorted in response.

"You." The Hyuuga turned to face Genma with an annoyed 'what'. "Carry Inuzuka until he wakes up, I'll stay with Lilia." The Hyuuga started to protest. Genma shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, you watch Lilia. But since you just split her lip you might want to make sure you stay out of range,"

"And sleep with one eye open." Lilia chimed in. The Hyuuga 'hmphed' and secured the unconscious man around his shoulders. He stalked off towards the village, Akamaru on his heels. Genma followed him and Lilia kept pace. It would be slow going, with Lilia unable to use chakra they wouldn't be able to run through the trees. That meant a trek through the forest. It should only take a day and a half to reach the village from here, even with them having to move at a pace only slightly faster than a civilians.

* * *

The group had been travelling for a couple of hours when Lilia could bare the silence no longer. The Hyuuga stayed a good few paces ahead of herself and Genma, which was fine with her - her lip and cheek were still throbbing.

"So…" Lilia drawled, looking up at the sky as Genma turned his head to look at her. "What is it that Tsunade wants from me?" She thought she knew the answer but figured she would see what information Genma had.

"Dunno." Genma followed her eye line up to the sky before returning to watch the path ahead of them. "We were given very little information. Didn't even know who we were coming to get when we left. Tsunade just told us we had to bring back a missing nin alive and unharmed." He glanced at her swollen lip and cheek. "Suppose we screwed that last part up."

Lilia chuckled and grinned, making her split lip throb again. "Ah don't worry about it, he hits like a civilian." Genma snorted when the Hyuuga huffed and started walking quicker. Genma slowed his pace, widening the gap between them and the Hyuuga and still unconscious Inuzuka. Lilia didn't comment but slowed her pace to match Genma's.

After a moment of silence Genma quietly asked; "Why are you coming with us?"

Lilia had been expecting the question. "Because Tsunade has asked me to. Well, she is calling me out on a promise I made a long time ago." Genma raised an eyebrow. "I made her a promise that when she summoned me back to the village, I would come without question."

Genma was quiet for a while. "What promise did Tsunade make you?" From the tone of his voice Lilia could tell he wasn't really expecting her to answer. She smiled and looked at him.

"She promised that she would tell the truth."

"What?" Genma was clearly shocked by her answer. "What truth? You left the village."

"I did but there is more to it than me just deciding to leave."

"Then why? Why did you abandon us?"

Lilia shook her head. "It's not my secret to tell, not yet." Genma frowned, looking sceptical.

"Is Tsuande bringing you back into the village to live – as a citizen?" Or is she bringing you back to face justice? It didn't need to be said but she could hear the unspoken question.

"I don't know." She hoped she was going back to reintegrate with the village, as much as the thought terrified her.

"But you joined the Akatsuki. They have been working against us for years. They have hunted Naruto and they killed the Kazekage." Lilia stopped, concerned about the anger in his voice.

"Genma, you don't seriously believe I had a part in that?" He refused to meet her eyes. Her heart sank. Of course he did. That was how the whole village saw her. Suddenly, she wasn't so certain she wanted to re-join life in the village.

"You abandoned the village. You abandoned your friends." It hurt her to hear the disappointment and bitterness in his tone. The pair had been friends when they were younger, not especially close but close enough that she didn't want him to think ill of her. Though that seemed unavoidable at this point. She lifted her cuffed wrists to place one hand on his shoulder. He didn't flinch.

"I swear, I had no part in that. I mean no harm to the leaf village, I never have. I haven't seriously injured a single leaf shinobi since leaving the village. Genma, you know me well enough to know I couldn't do that. I mean, I stopped that exploding tag from going off near that asshole – though starting to wish I hadn't!" Genma's brown eyes met her grey ones. She held his gaze unwaveringly.

"Look, I've known you a long time so I'm willing to keep an open mind. But you won't get the same from others in the village."

Lilia smiled brightly at him. "I know, Genma, thank you." The pair started walking again. "So why did Tsunade not tell you who you were coming to get?"

"Pass. Who knows why that old bat does the things she does. Though I think she was worried we would bail if we knew we would be up against you with only a message."

"Sorry, must have given you a bit of a fright when you found me."

"Just a little. It would help if the team was experienced."

"All greenies?"

"You could say that."

Silence fell again. Lilia looked up to the sky, the bright blue expanse marred only by a single cloud that looked vaguely like a kunai. She knew she had to ask the question.

"How angry is he?"

Genma looked sideways at her. "He was fuming. Now we just avoid saying your name."

Lilia winced.

* * *

A/N Hello and welcome to my new story! I apologise for the length of the first chapter - not all the chapter will be this long! I want to provide a bit of a disclaimer - this story will not follow canon but it is set in the Shippuden, before the death of Itachi. I will likely deviate from some main plot points but since this is only a fanfic I hope you will forgive me :)

Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed the first chapter! I would love to hear from you with your feedback!

\- Quinn Thomas


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Kakashi sneezed.

He rubbed his nose with one finger through his mask and looked back up at the sky. The kunai shaped cloud drifted behind the Hokage tower. His orange covered book was led open on his chest as he reclined against the inside of the second hokages nose. It was a perfect day for reading and avoiding responsibilities. Kakashi sat up, snapping his book shut and placing it beside him. He swung his legs outside of the nostril and surveyed the town below. From here he could see the whole village, the people looking like ants as they scurried about their day. The rooftops were fairly empty of ninja this time of day. It was just gone noon and too hot for anyone to be running anywh-

Kakashi's thought trailed off as he followed a figure darting across rooftops towards the Hokage tower. The guy was fast. Kakashi squinted his uncovered eye, trying to make out who it was. The runner paused at the entrance of the Hokage tower long enough for Kakashi to make out Izumo's mess of brown hair and bandage covered nose. Now why was the usually laid back gate guard in such a rush? If he was not mistaken, Izumo was also wearing ANBU issued trousers and undershirt. At least he had the fore-thought to remove his armour and mask before dashing over the rooftops. That sight would surely have given some poor old lady a heart attack.

Kakashi stood, brushing off his trousers and stepped out of the Second Hokage's nose. He dropped to an outcropping lower down the cliff face and pushed off of it, dropping lightly onto a rooftop. Kakashi shoved his hands in his pockets and started strolling towards the Hokage tower. He had an appointment with Tsunade today, though he couldn't remember when it was, he was sure he was at least a couple of hours late. That was definitely why he was going to the Hokage tower now. It certainly wasn't so he could eavesdrop and find out why Izumo was sprinting about the village on such a hot day. In ANBU gear no less. Although Kakashi was technically no longer in ANBU he made a point of keeping his contacts and knowing who entered the organisation. He was certain Izumo wasn't a member.

Kakashi wasn't stopped or even given a second glance as he strode through the large double doors to the Hokage tower. The guards were used to his comings and goings and all times of day and night. He quickly climbed the circular staircase, pausing only to acknowledge those who greeted him. Just as he mounted the final step, a tower of paperwork came barrelling towards him. Kakashi stepped lightly to the side and caught the tower of paperwork in one hand and the woman behind it in the other before both went flying down the stairs.

"Oh!" Shizune blew a piece of hair out of her face and looked up at Kakashi. He dropped his hand from her waist and held out the tower of paperwork. "What are you doing here, Kakashi?"

"Apparently saving you from breaking your neck." Shizune accepted the paperwork with a wry look.

"I may be the Hokage's assistant but I'm still a ninja. I wouldn't have fallen down the stairs," Shizune chuckled as Kakashi stuck his hands in his pockets. She could practically see the pout behind his mask. "But it was a nice gesture. Thank you." Kakashi smiled at her, his one visible eye creasing. Shizune shifted the paperwork to a more comfortable position, managing to give herself a paper cut on her ear. She winced but ignored the slight sting, little cuts were always the worst. "So what exactly are you doing here, Kakashi?"

"I have a meeting with Tsunade. I believe I am a bit late but you're not the first damsel in distress I've come across today. Though most are more grateful." Kakashi began to step around Shizune, he wanted to get to the office before Izumo left.

Shizune frowned. "A meeting? Kakashi I don't think-"

"I had better get going Shizune, don't want to keep the Hokage waiting any longer!" Kakashi held his hand up in a wave as he walked away. Shizune shook her head at his rudeness. He must not have gotten the message that his meeting had been postponed. That will teach him to hide from his responsibilities. She turned back towards the stairs, the movement of her head causing the errant piece of paper to slice her ear again. Shizune cursed. Today was not going to plan.

Kakashi stood outside the large door to the Hokage's office. To his disappointment, Tsunade had placed a chakra barrier around the room, preventing anyone outside from hearing what was going on inside. He knocked loudly on the wooden door. After a couple of seconds Kakashi felt the chakra barrier waver.

"Get in here, Hatake." Tsunade called gruffly. Kakashi smiled to himself and he pushed the door open. It swung inwards with all the ease of a door that had been ripped off its hinges one too many times. His eyes took in the whole of the office in one quick glance before focusing directly on Tsunade. Izumo stood rigidly before the Hokage's sizeable, dark oak desk. He looked tired and agitated. As did Tsuande herself. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Kakashi acted as though he was there only for his meeting.

"Good Afternoon, Lady Tsuande. I apologise that I am late but I bumped into a damsel in distress and – "

"Save it." Tsuande rubbed her temples and leaned back in her chair. The hinges creaked. "Our meeting was postponed." Kakashi raised his eyebrow and glanced back at the door he had just come through.

"I must have missed the memo. I will leave then, if there is nothing else you wish to discuss?" He raised his visible eyebrow. He hoped that Tsunade's decision to let him in meant he would be allowed to stay. Despite his near legendary nonchalance, Kakashi was a ninja and secrets made him curious. Especially secrets that involved non-ANBU members rushing through the village in ANBU gear. Tsunade leaned forward, the chair creaking again, and tented her fingers. She levelled her gaze on him and remained silent. A tendril of unease began to unwind in Kakashi's stomach.

"Do you recall a ninja by the name of Lilia Uchiha?" Tsunade made it sound as though she was simply curious but the intensity of her gaze suggested something different. The tendril of unease grew, joined by a long held wave of anger.

"I do. May I ask why you wish to know?" Kakashi asked calmly, betraying none of his emotions. He glanced to Izumo who had grown so still and stiff that he could pass as a very convincing statue.

"I sent a team of ANBU out a few days ago. We had word that Uchiha had been sighted in the area. Izumo has just returned to confirm that the team had successfully encountered and engaged with her."

Only his mask hid his surprise. That Izumo would be sent to take out such a prolific missing nin was incredible. What was more incredible was that he had returned looking tired but otherwise completely unscathed. Kakashi stared at Tsunade.

"What do you mean successfully engaged, Lady Hokage?" Despite the anger swirling his mind, Kakashi felt something akin to regret. Did that mean Lilia had been disposed of? Tsunade continued to watch him. The longer the silence stretched the more Kakashi found conflicting emotions clouding his mind.

"Izumo returned ahead of the team to inform me the mission had been a success. Lilia is returning to the village."

Everything went silent. The conflicting emotions silenced. Kakashi couldn't even hear his own racing heartbeat. Then Izumo shifted slightly and a buzzing started in Kakashi's mind. All the emotions came crashing back, stronger than before. Strongest amongst those was anger, radiating off of him in waves. Izumo moved further away. Tsunade simply continued to watch him.

"Why?" It was all he could manage without being disrespectful. Tsunade sighed.

"We need her Kakashi."

"No, we don't. She abandoned us." Anger laced every word. Izumo was openly staring at him now. Kakashi didn't usually have an emotional response to, well, anything. That a few words and a name could cause such a reaction was likely a shock for the younger man. Kakashi didn't care.

"Kakashi. I would not have made this decision if it were not in the best interests of the village. I have thought long and hard over this, you will not change my mind." Tsunade's temper was rising. She didn't appreciate having someone question her decisions, especially ones that had been years in planning. She understood Kakashi's frustration, however. She knew of his past with Lilia and tried to remain sympathetic. "A lot is going to change when she comes back."

That was an understatement. Kakashi ran a hand through his hair, exhaling heavily. He tried to tame the tumultuous thoughts racing through his mind. Tsuande leaned back in her chair, her eyes moving to Izumo.

"Izumo, please continue your report. Do you have an estimated time of arrival for the rest of the team?"

"Ah, y-yes, Lady Hokage," Izumo stuttered and stood to attention, focusing back on the Hokage. "Your intel was correct, Lilia was only half a day's run outside of the village. Inuzuka Kiba and the Hyuuga were able to find her after a day of searching. She discovered us tailing her and fled, laying traps and sending shadow clones as distractions. Genma was able to disarm the majority of her traps and we caught up to her after a short chase. Lilia faced us and there was a short battle, though it appeared that she intended only to disable us long enough to escape. When Genma gave her your message she surrendered. Lilia then agreed to wear the chakra inhibiting cuffs, though I believe she only complied with us because she recognised Genma." Izumo paused for breath and winced. "I should mention that once she was wearing the cuffs, Hyuuga punch her in the jaw. Apparently he took offense to her… utilising his natural weakness."

Tsuande groaned. "I thought I instructed you not to harm her? There should never have been a battle in the first place!"

"When we first found Lilia, she used her Sharigan on Kiba. I confirmed that he was simply in a deep sleep but Hyuuga ignored instructions and attacked. As I mentioned, it was my observation that Lilia was simply attempting to escape us, not to cause us harm."

Tsuande was nodding. "I will have to keep an eye on him. Not just for his inability to follow leadership but if he hit Lilia after she had surrendered, I doubt she will be forgiving. How long do you think it will take them to return?"

"They will be forced to travel as civilians due to the chakra inhibiting cuffs. I believe it will be about a day and a half."

Tsunade tented her fingers under her chin and hummed. "Thank you Izumo, you may leave. Kakashi, perhaps we had best have our meeting after all." Izumo nodded, bowed and hurried out of the room, giving Kakashi a wide berth. Tsunade gestured for Kakashi to have a seat. He complied, flopping heavily down into the comfortable chair opposite her. "Kakashi, I know this won't be easy for you but the village is on the brink of major war with the Akatsuki."

"Then why are we bringing one into the village?"

"Lilia has been providing us with intelligence on the Akatsuki's movements for years. She has infiltrated to the highest level and reported back to me at great personal risk. I know that you and her have some issues but I want you to understand this, Kakashi. Lilia is on our side. She always has been." Tsunade pulled a stack of papers out of her desk drawer and dropped them in front of Kakashi. He moved the top one so he could see it.

 _My dearest Aunt,_

 _I apologise that I have not been in touch for some months, it feels as though work has had me running to all corners of the planet! I was even able to see the Land of Mist last month, I know how often you spoke of wanting to visit._

 _The weather here in Fire is much the same as ever, gloriously sunny! Though I have heard talk of farmers bringing the cows down from pasture early due to the risk of heavy rain. Hopefully I will be on to another land before then!_

 _The search for that rare flower you wanted still goes on. I have heard rumour that it is in Fire but I have seen no sign of it! I am starting to think you may have imagined it when you travelled all that time ago._

 _I will try to write soon. I hope you are well and work is not too taxing. You know that you should be slowing down in your old age!_

 _Kindest Regards,_

 _Rosa._

Kakashi re-read the letter, written in neat cursive and raised an eyebrow at Tsunade.

"That was the last letter Lilia sent me. It arrived about eight months ago and I haven't heard from her since. I am unable to get letters to her, for obvious reasons, so I am calling her back."

"What does it mean?"

"She makes reference to the Land of Mist, letting me know the Akatsuki are growing and have a base there. The rain in the Land of Fire suggests the Akatsuki are preparing to move on us soon and the rare flower is a reference to Sasuke." Kakashi snorted and sat back. Eyes staring unfocused at the letter. Tsunade frowned slightly at him. "I mean it when I say everything will change, Kakashi. Not just the war with the Akatsuki but there is much that the village does not know about Lilia or the Uchiha clan."

"Why now?" Kakashi asked, not moving his eye from the letter. "Why call her back now?"

"The length of time between her letters worries me. They were never particularly frequent but it has been a long time without word. It makes me nervous that she has been unable to get word to me."

"Why did she agree to come so easily?"

"She made me a promise, a long time ago, that when I called, she would return to the Leaf village."

"And what did she want in exchange?"

"A guarantee that I would tell the truth."

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A/N So I don't like to upload a story with just one chapter. Here is the second chapter but please don't expect all updates to be so fast 😂

As before, I hope you enjoy - please leave me a comment or a like to let me know if you enjoyed it!

\- Quinn Thomas


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

They came at night, moving silently through the village. There was no fanfare to her return. Kakashi watched from his seat atop a shop as the figures walked sedately through the centre of the village under a cloudless night sky. It had been over a day since he had met with Tsuande and he had taken up watch that night. He had remained in place through the following day, occupying himself with a book and moving only to relieve himself and to find food. He had almost decided to give up his vigil and return home for the night when he saw distant figures moving up the path towards the gate.

He stood, pocketing his orange book, to get a better view and watched as the Hyuuga, recognisable by the distinctive chakra signal unique to their clan, and Inuzuka Kiba, recognisable by the giant white dog following him, bickered in low tones. Trailing behind the pair, two more figures walked slowly and in silence. The first was Genma, his bird mask in place yet so familiar to Kakashi, who had run multiple missions with the man. Although he walked with a slight slouch and his hands in his pockets, he could read the tension in the man's posture. It was clear they were trying not to wake anyone. She was much shorter than the others and had a deceptively small frame. Her long, chestnut hair was scraped back into a tight ponytail, not a single wisp escaping despite the long walk. She carried a small pack on her shoulder and Kakashi could make out the familiar black and red pattern of the Akatsuki cloaks. The strange mix of emotions twisted in his gut as he watched her walk closer to his vantage point.

Suddenly, her head whipped in his direction and her eyes locked with his. Kakashi couldn't look away. He felt winded, trapped beneath the weight of her steel gaze. Her eyes were the same strange grey they had always been. He didn't know why but Kakashi began to feel angry that she looked the same as before she had left. He held her stare, refusing to break eye contact first but knowing what a dangerous game this was to play with an Uchiha. Kakashi started to notice that something had changed. It was in her cold, unfriendly gaze. She never used to look like that. Her eyes always shone, filled with her laughter and smile. Even when she was unhappy or angry she had never looked so empty, so dead inside. A perverse sense of satisfaction came over Kakashi then. Her betrayal had stolen the light from her eyes. Lilia broke eye contact first as the group passed where Kakashi stood on the roof and moved further into the village. Kakashi let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding and watched their retreating backs. The eyeless holes of Genma's bird mask watched him for a moment longer before turning away as well. Kakashi watched them for a little longer, noting that they were heading in the direction of the ANBU headquarters, before taking off into the night and home to a troubled sleep.

Lilia sighed with audible relief when she felt Kakashi's presence move away. Meeting his gaze had been more terrifying than the thoughts of what were to come at ANBU HQ. Genma sighed in relief as well and the two in front had gone silent. Clearly they had picked up on the hostility too. Genma was probably just glad it hadn't come to blows the way it did the last time Kakashi and her met. Lilia tried to distract herself from the unpleasant memories by focusing on the non-descript block of flats ahead of her. Despite its average appearance, complete with a man hanging out a window smoking, inside was the headquarters of the ANBU black ops. Lilia had been a member once and knew that beneath the building lay a network of tunnels, rooms and cells. It was to one of the latter she was likely headed. Lilia had known from the start of all this that there was a likelihood she would be brought here, to face Ibiki and a 'debrief' – the polite word for 'tell us everything you know or we will send a Yamanaka into you mind and drag it out whilst torturing you for the fun of it'.

Despite this, she had hoped that as she was asked back and came without a fight, she might be spared the unpleasantness. She had also hoped, prior to Genma confirming his ignorance, that Tsunade (upon deciding to call Lilia back) would have informed the village of the truth behind her departure. She had still held on to a small tendril of hope that perhaps Tsunade had explained the situation once she received word that Lilia had agreed to return. That hope was shattered when she saw Kakashi. No, that was a lie. When she saw Kakashi that traitorous voice of hope had made her believe, for a moment, that he had come to welcome her back. To accept her apology and acknowledge his understanding with his hands in his pockets and a smile that showed only in the creasing of his eye. But it wasn't a smile she saw when she met his gaze. In the face of his obvious anger and dislike, Lilia had shut down that voice of hope.

They stopped in front of the plain wooden doors, locked with an advanced technology developed by ANBU. The doors could only be opened by a special card, unique to each member that had to be held against a panel to the right of the doors. The smoking man in the third floor window raised a hand in greeting and called out a lazy 'yo'. His hair was too short for the ponytail he had drawn it into and stuck out in spikes. The cigarette hung between his lips as he regarded the group indifferently. He looked familiar. The Inuzuka looked up and waved in greeting.

"Yo! Shikamaru! Let us in!" The Hyuuga elbowed him and began to scold him for being careless with names in front of the enemy. Lilia ignored them and with feigned confidence, she looked up and caught Shikamaru's eye. He raised an eyebrow in surprise and when his gaze moved behind her, taking in the cloak strung between the straps of her pack, the second brow joined the first.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Shikamaru stubbed his cigarette out in the window box over flowing with ivy and withdrew from the window. As they waited, Lilia drew a quiet breath and was surprised by how shaky it was. Genma must have heard as he moved a step closer and leaned in, still facing the door.

"We have to have a watcher now. About a year ago a greenie dropped his access card and a civilian picked it up. She followed him back here, running the whole way to keep up and trying to call to him. The greenie realised he dropped it, looped back over the rooftops and missed the civilian all together. She figured, trying to be helpful, that she would let herself in and give the card to the reception desk. Well, of course when she walked in she couldn't find a desk so kept wandering. Wound up in level 4 before someone finally found her! Poor woman was nearly run through for being an enemy spy and then had to have her mind wiped by Yamanaka, all because she tried to do a good deed." Genma shook his head sadly. Lilia gave a small smile. She appreciated Genma's kindness in trying to take her mind off of what was coming but she wasn't really in the mood to laugh. Instead, as the doors swung open to reveal Shikamaru and four more masked figures, Lilia dealt with the stress, the fear and the uncertainty in the way she had become accustomed to over the last five years. She shut them away. Closing her eyes, Lilia pictured a box in her mind, a very plain but sturdy, wooden box with the lid open. Inside she put all her emotions, all her fears and hopes and worries. Every feeling and emotion that could be used against her, used to control her, were placed gently in the box. No more than a couple of seconds had passed but when Lilia opened her eyes she was seeing the world in a very different way. Gone was the worry over what would be done to her inside this building and the fear of what would happen when she was released. Instead she assessed the situation with a cold logic. What they would do would be no worse than had been done to her before. She would only allow them to take from her mind what she wanted them to see, the rest would be hers. Her lack of cooperation probably wouldn't cause them to distrust her any more than they did already so she had nothing to lose but more to gain.

The group of four moved into the well-lit foyer and the doors swung shut behind them. Shikamaru stepped back, allowing a large man wearing a bandana to move forwards. He stood, directly in front of Lilia staring down at her. It was obviously meant to be an intimidation technique, Lilia was quite a bit shorter than him and quite a bit smaller, but she simply met his eyes with a small smirk.

"Ibiki. Always a pleasure." The tone was slightly mocking and the smirk grew. Lilia noticed Genma turn his head in her direction out of the corner of his eye. Ibiki grunted and turned his back to her. The ANBU who had met them at the door took this as a signal and flanked her. The three who had escorted her moved to the side and stood in silence. Shikamaru joined them with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He regarded the scene with apparent indifference and knocked a cigarette out of the box he pulled from one pocket, tucking it behind his ear. Lilia refocused on the people surrounding her. She ticked off escape routes and logically calculated her chances of escape. They were pretty slim but this didn't faze her. The worry she should have felt stayed firmly locked away. Ibiki strode away, out of the foyer and towards the flight of stairs leading to the lower levels without another word. Lilia followed still surrounded by ANBU. As they descended, they passed multiple doors, each with a small number painted in the top right corner. These denoted the levels. When they passed level four, the cell floor, a small slither of unease worked its way out of the box. Lilia forced it back firmly. They were about to enter the interrogation levels. She wondered why Tsunade would allow ANBU to interrogate her. Logically speaking, it seemed unusual behaviour to torture someone you wanted on your side.

The group stopped when they reached level six. Ibiki withdrew a key and unlocked the plain steel door. He walked down the corridor and Lilia and her entourage followed. As they walked, Lilia's eyes took in the rooms on either side of the corridor. All were lettered – a, b, c, d, etc. and each room bore two doors. The first door was made of strong metal, bore multiple locks and had reinforced hinges. The second door was much less intense, a plain steel door similar to that at the entrance of the level. Through the first door was the interrogation room, fitted with a single chair and multiple cuffs and an array of scary looking tools that were rarely ever used. The second door led to an observation room in which people could view the interrogation through a one-way mirror. Lilia had visited these rooms only a handful of times in the past to help with some particularly tricky interrogations. She had not enjoyed doing them.

Ibiki came to a halt once more in front of a room marked with a 'J'. He withdrew another set of keys and unlocked the reinforced door. He stepped to one side and Lilia walked through without hesitation and sat down in the one chair. If Ibiki was surprised by her nonchalance he didn't show it, he simply followed her in and motioned for the ANBU to follow. One of the masks attached chakra restraints to her ankles before removing the cuffs from her wrists. Lilia didn't even have time to rub her sore skin before they attached the chairs cuffs to her. These cuffs covered the whole of her hand and stopped at the middle of her forearm, pinning her arms to the arms of the chair. She watched indifferently as the ANBU performed their tasks then refocused on Ibiki and he stood in front of her. One of the masks stepped beside and removed the tiger mask. Lilia recognised the blonde haired man as a Yamanaka, though she couldn't remember his first name. Lilia smirked slightly, so, they weren't wasting any time.

"You've been down here before. You know the process. You know that if you cooperate this will be much easier for you," The authority in Ibiki's voice was unmistakable. "Any question?"

"Just one," Lilia answered with no inflection. Ibiki raised a brow and Lilia took it as a signal to continue. "Does Lady Tsunade know I'm here?" Ibiki turned away and motioned for the Yamanaka to begin. Lilia's smirk spread. "Didn't think so." The blonde haired man formed familiar hand seals and pressed his fingers to her temples. Lilia relaxed back in the chair, ignoring how her pack dug into her shoulders and back. Taking a deep breath she began to recite every single one of the Shinobi rules in her mind. When she finished the Leaf rules, she moved on to the Sand rules and then the Sand rules in the old tongue of the Land of Wind. The Yamanaka grit his teeth in annoyance as she continued to push him out of her mind. Each attempt he made to dig into her memories was met with a Shinobi rule. The Yamanaka was persistent, however. Lilia sighed, this was going to be a long night.

* * *

A/N: Whelp here's the third chapter! Thank you to the wonderful people who have given reviewed for the first two chapters - it's super appreciated! I apologise for the random updates, I don't have a set date to update but I fancied posting today!

\- Quinn Thomas


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

With a loud smash, a paper weight went sailing through the window of the Hokage's office. This was swiftly by a scream of: "BRING HER HERE RIGHT NOW" and two ANBU flying out of the Hokage tower and taking off over the roofs towards their headquarters. Kakashi watched them go before walking sedately through the large doors to the tower. It was just gone 10am and Kakashi was on time for his meeting. It was a rare day indeed that Kakashi found himself on time for a meeting but he was having trouble finding things to distract himself with. His sleep had been restless, filled with nightmares of the past and thoughts of what was going to happen now that Lilia had returned. Kakashi wasn't the sort of person to hold grudges, life was too short to hold on to old anger, especially for Shinobi. Over the years he had tried to let go of the anger he felt towards Lilia but her betrayal dug too deep. Before she had left the village he and Lilia had been close. They were closer than he had ever been to anyone else before or after her. She knew things about him no one else did and he had believed he knew her better than anyone else. For a time he even thought there might have been something more than friendship between them. That was shattered the night she betrayed her home. The night she betrayed him.

It happened two years after the massacre of the Uchiha clan. Kakashi had known that Lilia was struggling to fit in with village life. She had still been in the ANBU ranks but it was no secret that the higher ups viewed her with suspicion. She had often spoken to Kakashi of her frustration. Lilia completed every mission given to her flawlessly and she was still treated as an outsider. On top of her role in ANBU she had been left as the guardian for her youngest brother Sasuke. People whispered about her wherever she went and eyed her as though she too would turn against the village. In the end, Kakashi supposed, she proved the gossipers right. Lilia hadn't made as grand of an exit as her brother, she hadn't slaughtered a whole clan, in fact, she hadn't harmed a single person. Instead, she left in the middle of the night leaving only a note behind. A note that still sat in the top drawer of Kakashi's desk.

 _I'm sorry. He's my brother._

Neither Itachi nor Sasuke were Lilia's genetic brothers. She had been adopted by their parents before Itachi was born and had taken the clan name. Lilia didn't know who her biological father was and after her mother died, the Hyuuga clan threw her out. The Hyuuga's had made no secret of their dislike for either Lilia or her mother. Her mother was of the main household and was seen as a disgrace for having an affair outside of the clan. An affair with an Uchiha that resulted in a baby with the Uhciha's Kekkei Genkei. If her mother had been of the branch clan both mother and baby would have been on the streets long ago. Lilia had approached the Uchiha clan and Mikoto Uchiha had talked her husband into taking her in. When her husband had discovered Lilia had activated the Sharigan at only four years old, it didn't take much convincing. Lilia grew up treating Itachi and Sasuke as her true brothers. She loved them both fiercely and her decision to abandon Sasuke with no one in order to chase after a brother who had killed the people who took her in made no sense to Kakashi.

Six months after she had left the village Kakashi heard word she had joined the Akatsuki. A month after that Kakashi and his ANBU team had been out on a mission when they had encountered Lilia. Kakashi had challenged her over her decision to leave. She had brushed him off, behaved as though he had never mattered to her. His anger and hurt got the better of him and he attacked her. They had always been evenly matched when they sparred in the past but Kakashi was at the end of a long mission and was eventually over powered. The image of Lilia standing over him, was forever burned into his memory. She had shown no emotion as she dismissed him and walked away, leaving his body injured and his ego and heart bruised.

Kakashi knocked on the Hokage's office door, his thoughts still firmly in the past. This was getting to be ridiculous. Since he heard Lilia was returning to the village he had struggled to think about anything else. Not even his trusty books could hold his attention for long. At the impatient invitation, Kakashi entered the office and took in the faces of those already gathered. Tsunade had her back to him, staring out of the window and Shizune stood next to her, clutching their pet pig and looking nervously back and forth between the Hokage and the other man in the room. Mornio Ibiki. A face Kakashi knew too well. Ibiki was the official head of the ANBU black ops and unofficial head of 'information extraction'. Ibiki nodded to Kakashi as he moved further into the room and leaned against the wall farthest from the door. He pulled out his little orange novel and looked to all the world as though nothing was wrong. A few moments later, another knock came and Tsunade called out another terse instruction for the person to enter. Into the room filed Genma, Izumo, Kiba and an unknown Hyuuga, whom Kakashi assumed had been on the retrieval squad he had seen last night.

Genma nodded to Kakashi but made no move to join him against the wall. Instead, the team stood close together near the Hokage's desk. Although Kakashi continued to pretend to read his book, he noticed Izumo throwing glances in his direction. Suddenly, a puff of smoke appeared in the middle of the room, causing Kiba and Izumo to jump a little. The smoke cleared and revealed three ANBU and Lilia Uchiha. The ANBU stood to either side and one behind her, but Kakashi could clearly make out her side profile from his position against the wall. She was wearing the same outfit she had been last night, right down to the pack on her back and a now more creased, Akatsuki cloak. The entirety of her hands were covered in metal cuffs, cuffs Kakashi could only assume were inhibiting her chakra.

Kakashi knew he was staring but he couldn't bring himself to look away. She looked the same as she did so many years ago. Same long, brown hair. Same metallic, grey eyes. He could make out a faint bruising under her eye that indicated she was in need of a good sleep but otherwise looked unmarked by her time as a missing nin. The only difference that Kakashi could make out was the emotionless expression she wore. The Lilia he had known always wore her heart on her sleeve. It was a dangerous trait for a ninja but it was something she couldn't change, despite her numerous attempts. Kakashi recalled how every emotion and every thought would play across her face. How her whole face would change when she smiled and how she wasn't afraid to cry, something so alien to Kakashi. Looking at her now, there was no hint of that woman. This woman looked as though she had never experienced a genuine emotion in her life. Tsunade had turned to face the ANBU and their prisoner.

"For gods sake, remove those ridiculous cuffs," When the ANBU failed to comply Tsunade glowered at them. "That's an order. Now."

The ANBU standing to Lilia's left, the one closest to Kakashi, placed his hands upon the cuffs and they fell away. The only acknowledgment Lilia made that the cuffs had been removed was to subconsciously rub at her wrists.

"Lady Hokage, perhaps you had best put the cuffs back on." Ibiki said as he stepped forward to stand closer to Lilia. She glanced to him out of the corner of her eye. "Uchiha has not complied with our questioning and is still a danger to the village." Lilia rolled her eyes but said nothing.

"Your 'questioning' was unauthorised." Tsunade hissed from between clenched teeth.

"Lady Hokage, if I may?" The ANBU that had released the cuffs removed his mask when Tsunade, demonstrating great patience, waved for him to continue. Kakashi wasn't surprised to see that it was a Yamanaka. "I attempted to extract information from the prisoner-"

"She is NOT a prisoner!" Tsunade yelled, slamming her fist on her desk. The wood groaned and the Yamanaka flinched.

"Yes, of course. I meant to say from the Uchiha. When I attempted to collect the information she blocked me. I would consider this a sign that she means to harm the village. If she truly meant us no harm then she would divulge the information I wished to see."

"Yes, absolutely NO reason I wouldn't want you to go poking through my mind," Lilia deadpanned. The sound of her voice made Kakashi flinch. "I think I showed you a few reasons I would rather not have you freely examining my memories." To Kakashi's absolute amazement, the Yamanaka blushed. Tsunade raised an eyebrow and looked between Lilia and the Yamanaka.

"Care to elaborate?" The question was directed to the ANBU.

"I, um, well - yes, Lady Hokage. Initially she would recite the Shinobi rules in order to keep her mind distracted from what I was trying to see. I believe she recited all of our Shinobi rules, the Hidden Sands Shinobi rules in modern language and old tongue, the Hidden Mist's Shinobi rules in modern language and in old tongue and the Shinobi rules of the Hidden Stone Village."

"You have held Lilia for over 10 hours. You expect me to believe it took her ten hours to recite all those?" Tsunade questioned as she sat in her chair and pulled out a bottle of sake from one of the desk drawers.

"No, Lady Hokage. After Uchiha ran out of Shinobi rule to recite she began to show me some of her - ah - more amorous encounters. In rather graphic detail." Yamanaka blushed again. Tsunade paused in uncorking the bottle and looked to Lilia.

"I didn't run out of Shinobi rules - I could have translated them into different languages or different codes but, quite frankly, it was getting dull. Those memories were _much_ more interesting. Don't you agree?" It was clear that Lilia was struggling not to smile. She looked to the Yamanaka who stared straight ahead, refusing to look her in the eye.

"Lilia, would you be willing to answer question I have about your time with the Akatsuki in a much more civilized way?" Tsunade asked, retrieving two cups and filling them with sake.

"Of course, Lady Hokage." Lilia inclined her head in a slight bow. Tsunade nodded, re-corked the sake bottle and waved dismissively at Ibiki and the ANBU.

"You - Ibiki and the masks - you are dismissed. I will speak to you another time about detaining people and questioning them without my authorisation." Tsunade motioned for Lilia to have a seat in the chair opposite her. Lilia complied, shrugging off her backpack and taking a seat as the ANBU bowed and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Ibiki caught Kakashi's eye and tapped his temple with his index finger before pointedly looking to Lilia. Kakashi nodded and the other man disappeared. Ibiki wanted Kakashi to keep an eye on Lilia but he didn't need to ask. The Uchiha was too close to the Hokage and Kakashi didn't trust her. Tsunade slid a cup of sake towards the younger woman, who accepted it and took a sip. "How's your cheek?"

"Sore." Lilia answered honestly. Tsunade nodded and the Hyuuga shifted slightly. Kakashi had been so focused on monitoring every slight movement Lilia made that he had entirely forgotten the other people in the room.

"I can heal it for you." It wasn't a question, more of a statement of fact. Lilia placed her empty cup on the desk and Tsunade immediately uncorked the bottle to refill the cup.

"No, it's ok. It will heal soon enough," Lilia waved a hand dismissively and Kakashi tensed at the movement. He was surprised by the familiarity between the two women. "Besides, it will act as a reminder that the person who did it should run when they see me." The Hyuuga shifted again, as though to lash out at the younger woman. Lilia turned her head slightly and smirked at him, affording Kakashi his first glimpse at the nasty purple bruise on her cheek bone.

"Hyuuga stand down." Tsuande sighed, sliding the now full cup back to Lilia. She turned back to face the Hokage and accepted the cup with a 'thank you'.

The two women began discussing the trip back to the village, occasionally asking questions of the four man cell. Kakashi only listened with vague interest, wondering why he was even here. As time ticked on it was becoming harder for Kakashi to control his temper with the object of his anger sat only a few meters away. Tsunade debriefed the team, explaining that her reasoning for sending all rookies and Genma was to provide the least threatening front to Lilia, in the hopes of emphasising the peaceful nature of the trip. Lilia shot a sideways glare to the Hyuuga as Tsunade said this. The conversation continued when suddenly Lilia leaned down and reached into her backpack. Kakashi was by her side in an instant. He gripped the arm that was reaching for the backpack in one hand and pressed the point of a kunai to her throat. As fast as he had moved, Lilia was faster. She spun, knocking the hand with the kunai away. Kakashi felt the familiar chakra surge of her Sharingan activating and dropped his eyes to her mouth. Lilia clenched her jaw as Kakashi brought the kunai back down towards her. She gripped his hand, preventing the blow.

"ENOUGH!" Tsunade hollered. Neither Kakashi nor Lilia released their grip. Kakashi kept his eyes on her mouth but regretted not pausing to lift his headband to reveal his own Sharingan before moving. Lilia's jaw relaxed and she sucked in a deep breath. She released the grip on his hand but angled herself so the kunai was no longer pointing at her. Kakashi let his arm drop and risked glancing up to Lilia's eyes. He found himself looking into grey eyes that seemed to stare straight through him. He breathed a silent sigh of relief that he hadn't been met with red eyes.

"Kakashi, what the hell are you doing?" Tsuande asked, reminding him that he still had a tight grip on Lilia's arm. He released it slowly, not breaking eye contact. Kakashi turned slightly to face the Hokage, his gaze dropping briefly to the arm he had been gripping. White marks showed where his fingers had been. Kakashi leant to the side, reaching one hand into Lilia's backpack. Withdrawing a kunai from the bag he held it out, the hoop over his little finger. Although the kunai was held towards Tsunade, Kakashi looked at Lilia. Lilia crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"A kunai? How dare I, a ninja, have such a weapon on my person!" Lilia glared at Kakashi and gestured towards her pack. "May I?" Lilia reached down into the pack, Kakashi remaining tensed the whole time. She withdrew slowly, clutching two rolls of paper in her hand. She gave Kakashi a withering look before turning away from him and facing Tsunade. She placed the scrolls on the Hokage's desk. "Release the scrolls and you will find all of my notes on the Akatsuki bases, numbers and details of the plans I am aware of. I will admit, they are not as comprehensive as I would have liked. I think they began to suspect me after the attack on the Kazekage and I was left out of key plans." Tsunade nodded and tented her fingers under her chin as she considered the Kunoichi before her. She gestured towards the chairs in front of her.

"Lilia, Kakashi, sit." Tsunade withdrew another cup from her desk drawer and inclined towards Kakashi. He held a hand up in rejection.

"I would prefer to stand, Lady Hokage." From the corner of his eye he saw Lilia roll her eyes before flopping back into her chair. She reached for her still full cup of sake and downed the whole thing. Tsunade had it filled again only a moment after the empty cup was placed back on the desk.

"Fine. You four," Genma and his team, who had all moved closer during Kakashi and Lilia's encounter, stood to attention as the Hokage addressed them. "You are dismissed. Get out of my office." She waved them away with the hand that clutched her sake. All four of the team bowed and swiftly exited the office, leaving only the Hokage, Shizune, Kakashi and Lilia. When they had left, Tsunade leant back in her chair and rubbed a hand across her face. "This is why I called you both into the office. I understand that you two have a history but I can't have you at each others throats." She eyed the two ninja, ensuring they were paying attention.

"Lady Hokage, I won't deny that there is no love lost between myself and Hatake but we are professionals and it would not interfere with our jobs. I believe Hatake's reason for his action was out of a desire to protect you from someone he views as an enemy and my response was born of years of people trying to kill me." Even though she was right, Kakashi could feel his temper rising at her audacity to speak for him.

"I'm glad to hear you say that. Now, speaking of your job," Tsunade paused and dug through a stack of papers on her desk. When she couldn't find whatever she was looking for, Shizune stepped forward and pulled a few sheets of paper from the top of another stack. "Ah, thank you Shizune. I have met with the elders who were, of course, against the idea of you coming back to the village. I did manage, however, to convince them to see my point of view." Tsunade handed a sheet of paper to Lilia. The Uchiha accepted it and scanned it quickly. She grimaced.

"Six months?"

"The first suggestion was a year so be grateful. For the first three months of your probation period you will not be sent on missions that take you outside of the village. You will also be expected to attend assessments to determine your strengths and the best position for you once your full probation period is up. I will also be assigning at least two ANBU to watch you at all times." Tsunade paused as Lilia downed the cup of sake. She smiled kindly at the younger woman. "As you can see, the elders also want you to submit to regular debrief meetings. I will be personally attending these meetings. I'm sorry for the actions of the ANBU. They were not authorised to interrogate you like that."

Lilia nodded. "I figured as much. What will I be doing for the final three months of my probation?"

Tsunade handed both Kakashi and Lilia another piece of paper. She didn't give them a chance to read this one. "You will be placed on Team 7 under Kakashi."

Both ninja gaped at the Hokage.

"You can't be serious?" Lilia shot a glance to Kakashi and then back to the Hokage.

"As I said, I understand that you two don't get along, however, the elders were insistent that Kakashi's team were one of the few that stood a good chance of taking you down should you attempt to betray the village." Tsunade sipped from her cup. "Besides, you already assured me that your personal feelings would not impact upon the job."

"Lady Tsunade, surely there is another team that could meet the requirements? What about team Gai?" Kakashi's voice was calm, as though engaging in a discussion about what to have for lunch. Inside, his thoughts were swirling. Tsunade frowned.

"This is not up for discussion. I expect the two of you to put aside your differences for the good of the village. Kakashi, I suggest you introduce Lilia to your team and begin including her in your practice sessions within the village." Tsunade did feel guilty about the situation she was putting both the ninja in but the elders were insistent and, for the time being, she had to pander to their requests. Neither Kakashi nor Lilia said a word. Tsunade sighed. "Kakashi, you may go. Lilia if you don't mind staying a little longer there is more I need to discuss with you."

Kakashi nodded and gave a slight bow to the Hokage. He left the office in a daze, the unread piece of paper clenched in his white-knuckled fist.

* * *

A/N: Thank you again for all your reviews :) Hope you are still enjoying the story!

\- Quinn Thomas


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

When Kakashi had left, Lilia took a deep breath and sighed with relief, relaxing back into the chair. That had been about as unpleasant as she had expected. To make everything worse, she was expected to be on a team with him! Teams needed to trust each other and heaven knew that Kakashi most certainly did not trust her. Tsunade turned to look at Shizune who was still standing in the corner of the room, hugging a pig to her chest so tightly it looked like the pig was about to pass out.

"You can go too, Shizune."

"Lady Tsunade, I don't think that's a good idea." Shizune glanced to where Lilia now sipped her sake, deep in her troubled thoughts. The glower on her face made her look every bit the dangerous S class ninja she was supposed to be. Tsunade waved a hand in her direction.

"Nonsense. We'll be fine." Shizune looked as though she might argue again. Tsunade huffed. "Shizune, get out."

"There are two ANBU sat just above the window." Lilia pointed in the direction of the large window behind Tsunade. The two other women turned to look but could neither see nor sense anything. They turned back and stared at Lilia who shrugged. "Spotted them when I used the Sharingan. Pretty sure they can't hear anything but they are monitoring our chakra signals, likely to spot any spikes that would indicate I'm attacking you. Had the spat between Hatake and I continued much longer they would have made their presence known." Tsunade had crossed the short distance to the window in the time Lilia was talking and was now leaning her upper body out of it, twisting up to look to the roof.

"Lady Hokage." Came the muffled acknowledgement. Shizune jumped slightly, clearly surprised that there actually were ANBU sat above the window. Tsunade withdrew and slammed the window closed with a muttered 'no privacy'.

"I suppose I had best get back to the hospital anyway, I'm supposed to accompany Sakura on her rounds this afternoon." Shizune bowed to the Hokage and gave a slight nod to Lilia as she passed the younger woman. Lilia raised a hand, clearly still very deep in her own thoughts. As the door shut behind Shizune, Tsunade refilled the cups of sake, tipping the bottle on its end to ensure the last few drops weren't wasted. The Hokage sank into her chair. It was only quarter to eleven in the morning but Tsunade was already looking forward to her bed at the end of the day.

For a moment, the blonde woman simply sat, sipping sake and observing the brunette in front of her. The last time Tsunade had seen Lilia had been over four years ago. It was just after Naruto and Jiriya had tracked her down and tried to convince her to become Hokage. She and Shizune had been making the journey back to the Leaf village when they came across a badly wounded young woman. She had been dressed in civilian garb and Tsunade assumed she had been the victim of a violent mugging. The woman had suffered a huge amount of blood loss and was disorientated but it had been clear she didn't want Tsunade's help. Tsunade wasn't the sort of person, however, to let a patients unwillingness to be treated stop her from helping. They had carried the woman to a nearby hotel and snuck her in through the window of their room. For two days Tsunade kept the woman in a medically induced coma and healed her stab wound. It was a clean wound and by the time Tsunade was done there was barely a scar left. It wasn't the wound that began to made Tsunade question the identity of the woman, it was all the other scars. None were particularly large but there were enough to make Tsunade suspect the woman of being a Kunoichi. Once the woman's body had replenished the lost blood Tsunade decided it was time to wake the reluctant patient. When the young woman came round she took in her surroundings and promptly leapt off the bed. Tsunade recalled how she had stood in a fighting stance before placing a hand to her eyes and crying out.

"What have you done? Why can't I use my chakra?"

"I have blocked it." Tsunade had examined the woman's chakra system after she discovered the extent of her scaring. What she found was typical of a Shinobi, a powerful Shinobi. The woman's chakra reserves were larger than that of the average Shinobi, however, and Tsunade soon noticed the way in which the chakra interacted with the optical nerves was indicative of someone with an ocular Kekkei Genkei. A flick through her bingo book quickly revealed the woman's identity. "You are Lilia Uchiha, are you not?"

The woman glared at Tsunade but without her chakra and without any weapons, Tsuande felt little threat from her. Eventually the woman seemed to realise this, though her defensive posture did not change.

"I am."

"My name is Tsunade, this is Shizune." Tsuande gestured behind her to where Shizune stood, her hands folded, concealing a set of poisoned senbon. Lilia nodded, not taking her eyes from Tsunade.

"I know who you are. Why did you help me?"

"Honestly, I didn't know who you were when I first found you. I assumed you were a civilian."

"So why did you not kill me when you worked out who I am?"

"Call it morbid curiosity." Tsunade shrugged as though she was unfazed by the missing nin stood in front of her. In reality, even without the Sharigan, Lilia's eyes were unnerving, as though they could see straight through Tsunade and into her mind. She had considered simply stopping the kunoichi's heart but it wasn't in Tsunade's nature to end a life in such a way. It wasn't in her nature to end a life, full stop, but in her line of work it was often unavoidable. Tsunade really was curious about the Uchiha as well. She hadn't been in the village during the massacre of the Uchiha clan but she had heard of it. She had also heard rumours that the massacre wasn't what it seemed and that it had been set up by the village elders to rid themselves of the Uchiha's following a leaked coup plan. Tsunade didn't place much stock in rumours but in her vast experience she had learnt that there was always a spark of truth in even the most absurd rumour. "Tell me what really happened with the Uchiha massacre?"

Lilia's eyes widened in surprise and her facial expression confirmed to Tsunade that there was more to the story. The younger woman quickly schooled her expression to neutrality but not before Tsunade wondered how on earth a woman whose thoughts were so open on her face could survive in the Akatsuki.

"I'm not telling you anything." Suddenly Lilia rushed Tsunade. Shizune let loose the hidden senbon but Lilia dodged and aimed a punch at Tsunade. Tsunade had the advantage and following a short spar, she quickly subdued Lilia, shoving her into the wall with enough force to smack the Uchiha's head against it.

"Listen you little brat. I just wasted two days healing you, you should be damn grateful." Tsunade stalked towards the woman who adopted a wary fighting stance. "I am about to become the fifth Hokage, I will find out the truth one way or another what really happened."

To Tsunade's complete surprise, Lilia dropped her guard when she heard Tsunade was to become the fifth Hokage and relented. The three women had gone and sat in a bar and talked for hours. Lilia had explained the truth behind both hers and Itachi's departures from the village. Throughout the evening it would often hit Tsuande how surreal it was to be sitting and drinking with a famed missing nin. Although Shizune had maintained a wary distance from the woman, Tsuande had found herself actually starting to enjoy Lilia's company. She was a good drinking partner and had a wry sense of humour that Tsunade appreciated. When they had parted as the sun began to rise, Tsunade had struck a deal with Lilia and restored her chakra, much to Shizune's dismay. The deal was that Lilia would act as an informant from within the ranks of the Akatsuki and when Tsunade needed her to come back, she would. In return, Tsunade agreed to tell the truth about the massacre and her and Itachi's departure, clearing their names as much as she could.

One of the first things Tsunade did as Hokage was to confirm the truth of Lilia's story. She was both horrified and please to find that she hadn't been lied to. Four years later Tsunade could hardly recognise the woman in front of her as the one she had saved. The woman she had spoken to back then had been uncertain of herself and wore her heart on her sleeve, trusting people much too easily. The woman who sat in front of her today was self-assured and until being informed she would be on a team with Kakashi, had shown no hint as to what was really going on in her head.

"I'm sorry for the way you came back." Tsunade had never meant for Lilia to be greeted with such hostility, or treated with such suspicion. Her plan had been to let the rest of the village know at least the truth of Lilia's departure, if not the truth of the Uchiha clan massacre. At least then Lilia would be welcomed back, perhaps not as a hero but at least not as a traitor.

"I understand. There will be war with the Akatsuki and you need the village to be stable. If the truth came out now it would cast doubt on the leadership of the elders and the previous Hokage." Lilia sighed and stared into her cup of sake. It was not what she wanted but she supposed the deal did not include time limits on when Tsunade had to uphold her end.

"You are far too understanding." Lilia met the honey-coloured eyes of the Hokage in surprise. "I tell you that I am unable to keep my end of the bargain but you still agree to keep yours. You make excuses for Hatake when he attacks you and perhaps most of all – you are still loyal to the Village. After everything it put you through."

Lilia shook her head. "The Village didn't put me through anything. I admit, I am perhaps more empathetic than I should be for a ninja but I am not completely forgiving. I feel no loyalty towards the few who ordered the slaughter of my clan and my expulsion from the village. You, however, Lady Hokage placed your faith in me when you gave me back my chakra and let me go. The least I can do is return that favour. You have my loyalty as I believe you will fix the mistakes of the past and you have the best interests of the village at heart." Neither woman spoke for a while after that until Tsunade broke the silence.

"You've changed, Lilia."

Lilia gave a wry smile. "I had to. Do you think the person you met would have survived being a missing nin for so many years, survived being one of the top Akatsuki members, if she had continued being so naïve? I had to learn to shut down my emotions otherwise they would be used against me," Lilia tilted her head slightly as though considering something. "I am still far too trusting though. Itachi has always told me that that is what will get me killed."

Tsunade snorted. "Supportive brother."

Lilia laughed, the first genuine display of emotion Tsunade had seen since the woman had entered her office. "Very! He is just looking out for me though, he is somewhat of an over-protective brother – he just has a strange way of showing it." Lilia trailed off, not asking what she really wanted to know. Tsunade could see the unspoken question but could provide her with no answer. It had been hard enough getting Lilia back to the village and she hadn't killed anyone. Let alone trying to bring Itachi back. Instead, Tsunade decided to change topics.

"I know you and Hatake have your differences," It had been one of the things the two women had spoken about all those years ago. After several more shots than any normal human would be able to handle, Lilia had become relaxed enough that she had shared more personal information about her departure. Yet another example of how absurdly trusting Lilia had once been. "But I need you two to at least co-operate. You don't even have to like each other. Team Seven was the only team the elders would accept you being on. It's that or you are kept under permanent surveillance within the village." Lilia opened her mouth, no doubt to accept the latter offer. Tsunade cut her off. "I don't have the resources to allow you a permanent ANBU entourage. You will only be on Team Seven for a few months and then I will take you off."

Lilia sighed in resignation. "Yes, Lady Hokage."

Tsunade nodded. "Good. Now then, about where you will be staying," Tsunade handed Lilia a third piece of paper. "I have compiled a list of available apartments for you. If you need any help towards a deposit or rent until you have completed your missions, let me know."

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary. Akatsuki missions might not be pleasant but they do pay well." Lilia also had a sizeable store of cash waiting for her now she was back in the village. Although the Uchiha wealth had technically been repatriated into the village after the clan's death. Her father, who had suspected something was going to happen, had secretly ensured a significant portion of the clans wealth would be available to his three children. Lilia scanned the apartment list. "Lady Hokage, would it be possible for me to live in the Uchiha compound?"

Tsunade looked surprised at the request. "The buildings aren't in a habitable condition. No one has been in the compound since Sasuke left."

Lilia nodded. "I would like to rebuild it. Maybe not the whole compound, at least not right away, but perhaps just my old family home. Since I am going to have nothing to do for the next three months it would help to keep me occupied."

"I understand why you would want to but it might make it harder for you to reintegrate if you live separately in the compound."

"Actually, I think it would probably make people feel better!" Lilia gave a short laugh. "Keep me separate from the innocent public."

Tsunade snorted a laugh but gave the idea some serious consideration. "Your house might not actually be too bad. From what I am aware Sasuke continued living in it after you left."

"And there is only one exit to the house so the ANBU can at least stand guard in the comfort of my living room." Lilia gave a wry smile and Tsunade laughed.

"Very well. I will inform the ANBU you will be living in the Uchiha compound. I don't think there is much more that needs to be discussed at this time. I let you know when we have organised your assessment." Tsunade rose at the same time as Lilia and walked around her desk. Lilia gave a bow before turning to leave but Tsuande stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Come to me if you need anything." Tsunade looked into the silver grey of Lilia's eyes and saw her anxiety. She also saw her gratitude. So much for shutting down all emotions. Tsunade moved the hand on her shoulder to Lilia's injured cheek and healed the bruising. As soon as she stepped outside, all eyes would be on her, Lilia didn't need to give the masses one more thing to gossip about.

* * *

The walk to the Uchiha compound from the Hokage tower had never felt so long. She had been back in the village less than 24 hours but somehow everyone seemed to know that she had returned. Before leaving the Hokage tower, Lilia had stuffed her Akatsuki cloak into the small backpack to try and draw as little attention as possible. Lilia stood in front of the archway leading to the Uchiha compound. It would need a bit of paint but Lilia was pleased to see it had not been pulled down or defaced. She walked through, taking in the familiar buildings and feeling some dismay at how poorly kept the place was. She recalled a time where the entrance would have been bustling with activity, the houses on either side of the thoroughfare clean and maintained. She allowed the sadness to wash through her for a moment before pushing it back. The thoroughfare opened out onto a large square with a plain fountain in the middle. The square had once been lined with market stalls and the fountain, now dry, had spilled water into the pool that children would play in whilst their parents shopped or chatted. Taking a right at the square, Lilia walked a little further until she stood in front of one of the larger houses. This house stood alone from the others, fronted by an over grown garden. It was in better condition than the others but was clear that it had not been lived in for many years. Taking a deep breath, Lilia opened the squeaking gate and walked up the small pathway to her old family home.

As she was about to the open the front door, Lilia caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Immediately her guard went up but she suppressed the automatic reaction to activate her Sharingan. If it was her ANBU minders coming to meet her it would do no good to greet them with the Sharingan. She slowly turned to face back down the path and two ANBU appeared before her. Her eyes widened in surprise and she barely had a chance to register that she recognised the masks before both were removed and Lilia was confronted with two grinning faces.

"It is you!" The one who spoke first, the large man whose bulging muscles showed beneath his ANBU uniform made to take a step towards her. Lilia, still overcome with shock automatically stepped back, maintaining the distance. The grin fell from his face. The second ANBU, a tall woman with cropped blonde hair frowned.

"Lilia?" She asked. She sounded hurt. Lilia blinked and pinched her arm.

"Ow." The man raised his eyebrow with a sly smile. Lilia met his blue eyes and grinned. For a moment she forgot who she was and she forgot that they were ANBU. Lilia dropped her backpack to the ground and ran forward, throwing her arms round both of them. "Dean!" Lilia kissed the man's stubbled cheek, making him laugh. "Kassia!" She kissed the woman's cheek who jokingly made a noise of disgust. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you two. I've missed you so much!"

"Could have fooled us! You looked like you were about to take off." Dean's voice was exactly how Lilia remembered, deep with a slight gravelly edge. It matched his whole appearance. Although his skin was concealed by ANBU gear, Lilia knew that his forearms and biceps were covered in tattoos. Standing over six foot tall, the man was the very embodiment of intimidating. Lilia tried to step back but Dean pulled her back in for another hug. Kassia stepped out, she wasn't as comfortable with physical contact as Dean. Instead the woman stood close by, smiling, whilst the two friends reunited. Lilia could feel tears pricking her eyes. She pulled back and when she was certain she had her emotions under control she cleared her throat.

"What are you two doing here?" Lilia looked at their uniforms and her heart dropped as she realised they were probably off on a mission. It had been so long since she had seen her ex-team mates and in their brief reunion she had gotten her hopes up that she wouldn't be alone her first night back in the village.

Kassia smiled. She was a beautiful woman, though being one of Lilia's closest friends, Lilia was probably biased. Kassia was as slender as Dean was large, though she stood only a head shorter than him. Lilia on the other hand, only reached Dean's chest. Her hair was an almost white blonde and was cropped into what could be a fashionable hair-do if she styled it. Both Kassia and Dean had been born to non-shinobi families. When they were younger it was something that Lilia found very refreshing. She had found a lot of Shinobi spoke to her only because they were interested in 'getting in' with the Uchiha clan or wanted to hear about the clan gossip. That was never the case with Kassia and Dean as they had no clan affiliations to consider.

"We're your guard." Kassia explained. Dean leant into a lunge and gave her a thumbs up, his exuberance reminding her of Maito Gai. Lilia gaped at them. Suddenly, being back in a village full of people who hated her didn't seem quite so bad.

* * *

A/N: Whelp another chapter down! Hope you guys enjoy. Thank you to all of you who have reviewed/followed/favourited my story so far. Gives me a little bubble of joy when I see the email notifications pop up!

\- Quinn Thomas


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

The three friends stayed up long into the night catching up. It had been too long since they had all been together and there was much to say. In the early hours of the morning Lilia found herself struggling to keep her eyes open any longer, days of travel and interrogation won out over her desire to be around her friends again. Eventually, she resigned herself to bed but not before broaching a subject she had been afraid to mention since Kassia and Dean had first showed up on her doorstep.

"Why are you two not mad at me?" When Dean and Kassia exchanged a glance Lilia continued in a rush. "Not that I want you to be angry with me it's just, well, everyone else in the village seems to have turned against me."

"We were. Especially when you left without as much as a note." Dean said, pointing a chopstick at her. Earlier in the evening Dean had gone out to collect dinner and was now picking over the cold leftovers. Lilia winced and looked sheepishly at him. She had had only enough time to leave a very brief message and she had chosen to leave the note for Kakashi. A decision she regretted in hindsight, especially as she wasn't able to tell him the truth. Dean picked up a spring roll and was about to put it in his mouth when Kassia speared it with her own chopstick. He let out a surprised grunt as she grinned at him, he cheeks bulging with food. Dean rolled his eyes and looked back to Lilia. "Anyway. We were angry with you but after the hurt faded we were able to look at the whole situation logically."

"Yeah, we sat down together and analysed the evidence. How you had been concerned the higher ups were going to force you out of ANBU, how you were worried Sasuke might not be allowed to finish the Academy. All the fears you had about your futures in the village but not once did you show any sign of dissident. Our missions were completed flawlessly and you never once mentioned any discontent to us, other than with the elders." Kassia picked up another spring roll with her chopsticks and quickly popped in her mouth as Dean tried to steal it from her. She swallowed before continuing. "Thing is, the way you left was suspicious in itself. You would never have left Sasuke alone if you had had the choice. Not even for Itachi. You said as much when I asked you if you were worried about your brother being a missing nin. You said he would be fine as Itachi could take care of himself, it was Sasuke you were worried about. So when Kakashi came forward with your note and the elders started spreading the story that you left to follow your brother, well, Dean and I didn't buy it."

"We decided that there must have been another reason you left. After a few months of you encountering ANBU and all of them coming back alive we both decided that you it hadn't been solely your choice to leave. Otherwise why go to such lengths to avoiding injuring the people hunting you?" Dean raised an eyebrow at Lilia who was sat in mute shock. "Am I right?"

"I, um, I can't say." Lilia looked down feeling completely defeated. Here were her best friends, ready to accept her back and all she wanted to do was to confirm their suspicions. They were so close to the truth that it hurt. Her only solace was her faith that Tsunade would uphold her end of the bargain.

"It's ok. We sort of thought as much. To be honest, the very fact that you're here confirms our theory. At least part of it." Dean explained and Kassia nodded in agreement.

"I don't understand." Lilia whispered. Her mind was racing. "If you were able to deduce this and look at the evidence logically then why-" She couldn't finish. She didn't need to.

Dean smiled sympathetically. "Why couldn't Kakashi?" Lilia nodded.

"I don't mean to be rude but Kakashi was one of the most intelligent and logical people I have ever met."

Kassia waved the hand holding her chopsticks dismissively. "Like you could offend us. Kakashi probably could have come to the same conclusion had he looked at everything logically but let's be honest, Kakashi was never particularly logical around you."

Lilia opened her mouth to protest. Years ago Kassia and Dean were certain she and Kakashi were secretly in a relationship. It wasn't true, they had never been anything more than friends but it would be a lie if Lilia said she had never wanted there to be more. Just before she left she had believed perhaps Kakashi felt the same way. Dean cut her off before she could voice her thoughts.

"Even if you two were never officially an item you were the closest friend Kakashi had. When you left it really hurt him and I don't think he has ever been able to put aside that anger and hurt long enough to look at things objectively."

Lilia knew when she left the village that she was hurting people and the guilt over that ate at her for years. Hearing someone put words to her silent fears made the old guilt surface. Dean threw a sofa cushion at her.

"Stop with the self-pitying thoughts."

Lilia grimaced. "Sorry. I suppose it doesn't really matter anymore. Kakashi and I were close but we haven't spoken for five years. I have come to terms with the fact that I lost his friendship. Being perfectly honest, I am still slightly angry with him myself. You guys knew me well enough and trusted me enough to give me the benefit of the doubt and question the circumstances around my leaving. I thought I could have said the same of Kakashi but clearly not." Lilia snatched a spring roll from Dean's chopsticks and stuck it in her mouth. Kassia doubled over in laughter as Dean cursed. "Screw him. As long as you guys still love me I don't need anyone else."

"You know we love you Lia." Kassia said with a grin.

"I don't," Dean huffed. "I hate both of you. Stealing my spring rolls. I paid for those you know!" Both Kassia and Lilia stuck their tongues out at him. Dean rolled his eyes but couldn't suppress the smile. "Real mature."

"Right, I need to get some sleep." Lilia rose and stretched earning a satisfying 'crack' from her back. The trio had been so engrossed in catching up that by the time Lilia had remembered that she would need to clean the house and buy some new sheets for one of the beds, the shops had long ago shut. Instead, Lilia crossed to her backpack sat abandoned in the corner of the living room where the friends sat. She reached in one of the side pockets and dug around. Withdrawing a scroll she released the seal on it and her camping equipment appeared in a puff of smoke. She dragged her mat and sleeping bag back to the clearing they had made. The sofas were covered in a layer of dust and so had been pushed back in favour of sitting on the floor. Dean and Kassia had brought their own mats and unravelled them now.

"Kassia is going to take first watch and I will take second." Dean explained, as he wriggled into his sleeping bag. Their armour had been discarded in the corner alongside her pack, leaving both of them in just their trousers and under shirt. Lilia only had one change of clothes with her so she decided to sleep in what she was wearing and save the clean set for tomorrow.

"You don't have to. I promise I am not going anywhere." Lilia said, slipping into her own sleeping bag.

"I know but its orders and at least for the first few nights we are going to do the mission properly, just in case the powers that be send anyone to check on us." Kassia had slipped inside her own sleeping bag for warmth but remained sitting whilst Dean and Lilia got comfortable.

"Ok. Goodnight guys and thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate having you as my friends."

"Don't get sappy Lia, go to sleep." Dean murmured, already half asleep. Lilia chuckled and shut her eyes. It didn't take long before she too, was fast asleep.

The next day started a lot earlier than Lilia would have liked. After only five hours of sleep, she was up and ready to get going. To her dismay she found that there was no water to the house. The compound was supplied by a private water supply and Lilia decided she would have to seek out a plumber to come and look at it. Though she was good at many things, plumbing was not one of them. Kassia was still awake when Lilia got up, having expected her to sleep longer. The two women decided to leave Dean asleep on the floor and head to the public bath house. Kassia penned a quick note explaining to Dean where they had gone and Lilia pulled her spare change of clothes from her bag before they set off. Walking through the village, Lilia's anxiety from yesterday began to surface. She didn't meet a single friendly gaze and was grateful that it was too early for there to be many people on the streets. Instead of letting her anxiety take over, Lilia pictured her box once again and placed all her emotions inside of it.

They reached the bath house and Lilia and Kassia entered the women's changing room. The changing room was empty, their early start affording them privacy. As soon as the door swung shut behind them Kassia rounded on Lilia with a scowl.

"What was that?"

Lilia was taken aback, she had barely said two words to Kassia on the way over. When she pointed this out, Kassia placed her hands on her hips.

"Exactly! You completely shut down the minute we left the compound. It was like you were a completely different person."

"I didn't shut down." There was a pause and Lilia sighed when she realised Kassia wasn't going to let this go. "Look, its scary being back here. That's not a feeling you can have in the Akatsuki. Fear will get you killed, heck any emotion could be used against you."

"So you just stop feeling them?" Her tone was mocking but Lilia didn't rise to it.

"Yes. It's that or you get hurt."

"Well not here. Maybe it was like that with a band of S class criminals, Lia, but not here. If you walk around with your emotions bottled away, glaring at anyone who dares to look in your direction, you'll just scare everyone away."

"They're scared of me anyway!"

"Maybe some of them are but others just don't understand. You need to let them get to know you, Lia. The real you. Not this - this," Kassia paused, struggling for the words. "This criminal." Lilia grimaced.

"Showing that their animosity gets to me and makes me anxious is not going to achieve anything."

"Then don't let it get to you. Laugh, smile, hell even cry. You need to be you and you are not unfeeling. You are one of the most emotional and empathic people I know and I mean that in a good way." Kassia turned away and began to undress. Lilia did the same, neatly folding her clothes and placing them in a locker.

"Maybe that was who I used to be. Not anymore. It's been five years since you have last seen me, a lot has happened in that time." Lilia wrapped a towel around herself and followed Kassia out into the hot spring.

"Bull. Shit." Kassia said, hanging up her towel and sliding in the steaming water. "The way you reacted when you saw Dean and I was exactly how I would have expected you to react. I'll admit you have changed. You are much more confident now than I have ever known you to be and perhaps you are more jaded but deep down, you're the same woman who cried when we watched romantic comedies as teenagers."

Lilia decided not to comment any further. Her profession was one that did not mix well with emotions. She had spent years learning to control and conceal hers. Learning to separate herself from them when she needed to carry out a kill mission. She understood what Kassia was trying to say, that she couldn't act like an Akatsuki member and be accepted by the village, but she wasn't sure she could face the crowds of judgmental eyes with a smile on her face.

Once the women had finished soaking, they dried off and changed into clean clothes. For Lilia she had only her Akatsuki uniform - plain black trousers that tucked into white and black sandals and a plain black, v-neck t-shirt layered over a long sleeved, mesh undershirt. It was hardly inconspicuous but she had not been planning on returning to the village when she had packed for her mission. Reaching into one of her pouches for a hair tie, Lilia's fingers brushed the cool metal of her Akatsuki ring. By now they would have realised she was missing. Would they believe her dead or would they assume she had defected back to the village? She hoped Itachi would at least work out the truth but he would definitely be worried about her. Lilia resolved to get a message to him as soon as she could.

The shopping trip started with clothing and ended three hours later with the purchasing of four new mattresses and four new bed frames which would be delivered the following day. Lilia had decided she didn't feel comfortable with either herself or anyone else sleeping on the beds that were already in the house. Dean had tracked them down about an hour ago and was helping them to carry the numerous bags back to the Uchiha compound. Besides a new wardrobe and new beds Lilia had purchased enough cleaning supplies to scrub the entire village, gardening supplies to sort out the mess of a front garden and enough groceries to last her, Dean and Kassia a week. She had also contracted a plumber who assured her he would go to the compound and check on the water supply this afternoon. All in all, it had been a very successful trip. In the company of her friends she had managed to unwind and let her guard down, just a little. It had reminded her how freeing it was to be able to actually smile and laugh without second guessing who was watching.

As the trio walked down the main street of the compound, towards the square with the dried up fountain, Lilia started to get the feeling that something wasn't right. As they turned right towards her house, a shadow dropped from the rooftops and landed in front of them. Dropping the shopping bags, Kassia and Dean moved as one in front of Lilia. It wasn't a defensive move, it was their standard formation from the years they spent together as an ANBU squad. Lilia had more long range attacks than either of the other two so it made sense for her to remain at the back. That, and with her Sharingan and partial Byakugan, she was rarely blindsided.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The figure yelled, pointing a figure at the three of them accusingly. Lilia recognized the young ninja but couldn't place where she knew him from. Really, she should be able to remember someone with whiskers and a bright orange and black jumpsuit. Dean dropped his guard with a sign and turned to pick up the bags of groceries that had been dropped on the floor. He groaned when, as he lifted one of the bags, milk dripped on the floor.

"Naruto, what are you doing? You shouldn't jump out on people like that." Dean chided. Lilia turned to stare at the young man again. Naruto Uzumaki. Of course she knew him. Well, knew of him at least. Not only was he the son of the fourth Hokage but he was the jinchuriki that Itachi was assigned to capture. Of course, that was how Naruto had managed to avoid the Akatsuki's clutches for so long.

"Why are you moving into Sasuke's house?" Naruto stood his ground.

"Why do you care?" Lilia asked, not unkindly. She knew that Naruto had been on the same team as Sasuke before he had left the village but it surprised her he cared what happened to the house.

"Because he will need somewhere to live when I bring him back to the village and he won't have that if you're living there." Naruto glared at her. "Besides, no one is allowed in here."

"The Hokage knows I'm here. She has given her permission for me to live here." Lilia explained. She was slightly taken aback by Naruto's certainty that not only would Sasuke be returning to the village but that he would be allowed to live freely. It was one thing to be made to leave and then asked back but Sasuke had left entirely of his own volition. Lilia raised an eyebrow at Naruto. "If no one is allowed here, what are you doing here? Don't you know the compound is just for the Uchiha clan?"

Naruto stuttered angrily and pointed angrily at her. "You're not an Uchiha eith-AH!" His sentence choked off to a strangled yelp as he jumped back. Lilia had activated her Sharingan. Kassia tutted and elbowed her in the side. Lilia narrowed her eyes at the taller woman but Kassia was unintimidated. Lilia sighed and deactivated the Sharingan.

"Who are you? How do you have the Sharigan?" Naruto marched up to Lilia and stood looking down at her. Kassia and Dean didn't move a muscle.

"My name is Lilia Uchiha," Lilia stuck her hand out to offer a handshake. Naruto didn't take it. "I'm Sasuke's sister." Naruto just gaped at her.

"You're Sasuke's sister? The one who abandoned him?"

"Naruto. Time to go." Dean shoved his way between the two as Naruto clenched his fists. Lilia looked on impassively but inside her gut twisted with an old guilt. Naruto looked at the larger man before turning on his heel and taking off.

"Well, I've never seen the kid give up so easily." Kassia exclaimed as she continued the walk to the house.

"Think Lilia blindsided him a bit." Dean followed Kassia up the path to the house. Lilia followed in silence.

* * *

A/N - Thank you all for continuing to read my story and thank you for the reviews and follows! There is one review that I wanted to address but wasn't able to respond to directly as it was a guest account. One of the points made was regarding my paragraph sizes and not starting a new one when someone new starts talking. I have gone back through and hopefully this should have been corrected - I will be more vigilant in my proof reading moving forward. The paragraph sizes are fairly short to my eyes as I am writing on a 13 inch screen but I have tried to make them smaller for those on smaller screens. I don't want it to mess with the flow of the chapters, however, so some may still be a little long.

The second point made was to air an annoyance over the names of my OC's as they are not 'Japanese' names. The names are probably more western but that is because I am English and when the characters took shape in my mind the western names fit them. For me to give them any other name just would not fit and I am not sure I would like writing them. To me, Lilia, Kassia and Dean have distinct personalities in my mind and their names are part of that.

Sounds very dramatic, I know but I won't be changing their names. Going forwards there will be a few more small OC's (around Chapter 11) and I have given some of them more Japanese names (i.e. I googled Japanese names and picked the least cliche ones I could find). I hope, Reviewer, you find this an acceptable compromise.

\- Quinn Thomas


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

In the days that followed Lilia didn't leave the house except to meet with the Hokage. The water was fixed, the garden tended and the house scrubbed top to bottom. The beds and mattresses were replaced and the odd bit of DIY was completed. The work kept Lilia too busy to think about venturing out into the village. At least, that's what she told Dean and Kassia. Truthfully, it was because she didn't think she could face the contempt.

It was her sixth day back in the village and Lilia was sat in her front room, sorting through the weapons she had brought with her and making a shopping list of what she would need to replace. She chided herself for her cowardice. When had she reverted back to the unconfident girl she had been before she left?

Lilia paused in the middle of examining a kunai for nicks in the metal. It was one of those profound moments when something clicks and one wonders how one has gone for so long without realizing it. She hadn't reverted back to that person at all. She was behaving the way she felt she should. Almost everyone in the village saw her as a criminal that had been graciously given another chance and should be ashamed of her past. So Lilia had walked round for the last week with either her head bowed in shame or behaving every bit the unfeeling criminal people expected. But that wasn't how she actually felt. Truthfully, the stares didn't bother her, not really. She had become accustomed to hostility during her time in the Hyuuga clan and then again when she was kicked out.

Then and there, Lilia vowed to herself that she wouldn't let the village take away her confidence any more. She would go into the streets with a smile on her face and ignore what other people said. She knew the truth, she knew how much she had given in service to the village and would not be made to feel ashamed. Lilia smiled as she remembered her mantra from so long ago, 'there is nothing wrong with being confident'. There had been a time in her life where she had repeated that mantra on a daily basis until, eventually, it sank in. Besides, Lilia thought as she placed the kunai to the side, she had friends in Kassia and Dean and that would be enough.

Speaking of Kassia and Dean. Lilia glanced up and look to the ANBU stood in the corner of the room. He was silent and hadn't moved for a while. She was missing Dean and Kassia already and they had only been gone for a day. The pair had been pulled from her guard to rest, they would be reassigned to her the following day. It seems there weren't many in the ANBU willing to babysit her though that was fine with her. She would rather have Dean and Kassia with her anyway.

Lilia looked at the clock. It was a little after 8.30am and she was due to the meet with the Hokage in an hour. She stood, packing her weapons back into the backpack and then stretched. She walked to the kitchen and put the kettle. Lilia looked over her shoulder to where the ANBU stood in the doorway, having followed her from the living room.

"Would you like a drink? I'm making tea." She didn't expect an answer but offered anyway. As much as their presence irritated her, they were just doing their job. Besides, most of the time she was able to forget they were even there. Like part of the furniture. The ANBU didn't answer so Lilia moved to the window and threw it open. "Hey! Would you like a drink?" She called out to the other operative monitoring the outside of the house, just in case she got past the first.

"Coffee. Strong." Genma walked into the kitchen, placing his mask on top of his head. The other ANBU tutted but left the room to go and take Genma's place outside. Genma watched him go and rolled his eyes. "You get up way too early." He lowered himself into one of the stools at the kitchen island. Lilia smiled and reached for a second mug, heaping coffee into it.

"Two sugars, right?" Genma nodded and Lilia added them to the cup. "You could have slept in longer, we don't need to be at the Hokage tower until 9.30."

"Can't. Kenzo insists on both of us being awake when you are." Genma accepted the offered cup of coffee. Kenzo. Lilia didn't know the man but according to Genma he was well respected within ANBU due to his militant efficiency.

"Sorry, it's habit. I run on very little sleep – less time asleep means less time with your guard lowered." Lilia sipped her tea. The comment had been off handed but she caught Genma giving her the same look Tsunade often did during their meetings. A speculative look that Lilia worried could turn pitying if she said too much. She wanted the people in the village to not hate her, to understand why she did what she did but she definitely did not want their pity. There was no reason for it. Sure, the first year or so of being with the Akatsuki had been rough but Lilia was actually pretty good at it. She could be intimidating when she tried to be and over the five years she had been with the Akatsuki, Lilia had managed to form a network of spies. She had taken control of quite a few trafficking rings that worked with the Akatsuki but had shut down those that trafficked humans. She had also risen high within the organization and had been afforded a position of great trust. That was until a little over a year ago when the true Leader of the Akatsuki had revealed himself. He had made her an offer and when she refused it she found herself slowly being left out of plans. Lilia had wondered if in their brief encounter, he had worked out her true motivation for being there.

Genma cut off her thoughts. "Despite the 5.30am wake up, I appreciate having a bed to sleep in."

"You're welcome. If you want to repay me, I am going to start painting this afternoon. Could you use someone tall to help reach the ceilings?" Lilia smiled sweetly at Genma who ignored it.

"Not a chance. I'm on the clock, I can't go helping you re-paint." Genma polished off the dregs of his coffee and placed the mug on the island.

"Your cast iron throat always amazes me." Genma had finished his coffee before Lilia's tea was really cool enough to drink.

"You breathe fire." Genma deadpanned. Lilia shrugged and blew on her cup of too-hot tea.

When she had finished her drink, Genma replaced his mask and followed Lilia back to the living room where she fetched her shoes. Kenzo joined the pair as they left the house but both ANBU quickly disappeared to the roof tops as they left the compound. Lilia was thankful to Tsunade for insisting the ANBU do not be seen escorting her in public. It would only highlight her status as an ex-missing nin. As Lilia wandered through the village, taking her time and pausing at market stalls, she smiled to everyone who met her gaze, whether their look was hostile or simply curious. To Lilia's delight some smiled back. When Lilia reached the Hokage tower, for the first time she wore a smile and held her head high.

The meeting with Tsunade went much the same as always. The Hokage offered her sake from a seemingly endless supply and Lilia accepted. She had a high tolerance for alcohol so never worried about the impact of morning drinking. Though she worried that the Hokage seemed to regard this as normal practice. Tsunade would ask her questions about the size of the Akatsuki, their members and their plans and Lilia would give as much information as she could. The one piece of information that Tsunade never asked for and Lilia never volunteered was the identity of the true leader of the Akatsuki. The Hokage believed the Leader to be Pein and Lilia would allow her to continue believing this for a little while longer. Just until she received some additional information from her spies. In the latest meeting, Lilia had sat with the Hokage for a couple of hours going through the Leaf village bingo book and correcting the data.

When she left the meeting, Dean and Kassia were waiting for her outside of the Hokage office. Genma and Kenzo were standing to the side. Lilia took one look at her friend's faces and frowned.

"No. Whatever you are planning. No."

"Come on, Lil." Dean grinned when Lilia scowled at the nickname. She was fine with being called Lia but Lil was too close to a height pun for her liking. "We were only going to suggest a bar."

"Then why do you both look so shifty?"

"Because you are very paranoid?" Dean offered helpfully. He laughed when Lilia narrowed her eyes and glared at him. Kassia sighed at their antics. She was always the responsible one and Dean liked to tease her for being the Mum of the group.

"We were worried you would say no because it would mean being around lots of other ninja." Kassia answered honestly.

"Oh." Lilia shrugged. "If that's all then I'm game." Dean and Kassia exchanged glances. They were obviously surprised by her acceptance after having so blatantly avoided human contact for the last six days.

"I don't think that is a good idea," Kenzo stepped in. Everyone turned to look at him. "We will be unable to effectively monitor Lilia whilst she is in such a crowded area."

"Hey, you called me by my first name. You do like me!" Lilia teased. When forced to speak to her, Kenzo had only referred to her as 'Uchiha', this was the first time he had used her first name.

"Dean and I will take over guarding duties as of tonight. It will be our problem." Kassia said, a little frostily. Lilia made a mental note to ask what Kenzo had done to piss her off.

"And how do you intend to do your job properly when you are drinking?" Kassia had informed Lilia that quite a few amongst the ANBU had expressed concerns about her and Dean watching Lilia when they were so close. Clearly Kenzo was one of them. Kassia visibly bristled.

"We are going for a couple of drinks and will be surrounded by other ninja. I don't think she is going to be able to leave unnoticed do you?" Lilia decided it was probably a good time to step in.

"Dean, Kass, I would love to come for a couple of drinks. Meet at mine at about 8?" Lilia stepped between Kenzo and Kassia, ensuring she could keep an eye on both.

"Sounds good. See ya then!" Dean touched Kassia's arm and the pair walked away. Well, Dean walked, Kassia stomped.

"Come on then boys, I have a lot of painting to do." Lilia started walking towards the exit, the two mean beside her. "Of course I could be done much faster if you would help?" She was met with silence.

At quarter to eight Lilia was dressed ready for the evening and sat on her sofa reading a book. She had spent most of the afternoon painting the two rooms that were not currently being slept in. Lilia had been sleeping in her old room but once she was finished redecorating she would move into her parent's old room as the biggest of the bedrooms. She had spent a good 45 minutes deciding what to wear for this evening, it had been a long time since Lilia had last visited a bar. She had eventually decided on a navy, button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and a pair of black tight fitting jeans. It was not the most practical outfit but that was why she had picked it. The 45 minutes were not spent wondering what she would look best in but what she would look least threatening in. The outfit was purely civilian. She didn't even have a forehead protector to put on. Tsunade had informed her she would receive a new one at the end of her three month probation period. She was glad Kassia had suggested purchasing some civilian clothing as well as ninja wear. It would have looked weird wearing ninja gear with no headband and she couldn't very well wear her scratched one.

Dean didn't bother knocking before walking in, Kassia right behind him. Lilia looked up and was grateful to note they were both wearing civilian clothing too, she wouldn't stand out as much this way.

"You could knock," Lilia grumbled, marking the page in her book by folding over the top corner before placing it on the sofa. "What if I had been naked?"

"It's nothing I haven't seen before." Dean crossed his arms with a grin. His muscles bulged from his t-shirt and Lilia noticed he had had a few more tattoos added to each of his forearms.

"Where's the ANBU?" Kassia looked around the room. Lilia walked to the front door and pulled on a pair of flat, black ankle boots.

"They were here a moment ago." Lilia straightened and doing something she hadn't done for days, she activated her Sharingan. Looking to the direction of the compound entrance, she activated the Byakugan. Disappearing through the archway she saw two familiar figures. "They must have seen you two arriving and took off." Lilia dropped the Byakugan and then the Sharingan.

"You're getting better at that." Dean noted. Before she had left, Lilia had discovered she could use the Byakugan. It had its limits, such as it only being able to be used with the Sharingan but Lilia had developed it quite a lot over the last few years.

"Yeah, still gives me a nasty headache if I use it too long, though." Lilia walked out the door, holding it open for Dean and Kassia. The three made their way through the Compound and towards the shopping district they had visited earlier in the week. This time, Lilia barely noticed the looks as she was caught up in Dean's dramatic retelling of the time he got his leg stuck in a cattle grid. By the time they reached the bar, she and Kassia were doubled over with laughter and barely able to breathe.

Kakashi was not impressed. Gai had definitely cheated to win their latest challenge and now, to add insult to injury, was making Kakashi accompany him whilst he drank too much. Matters were made worse when Genma, Iruka and Kotestu waved them over to their table. Everyone was full of questions for Genma who was fresh off guard duty for Lilia. Of course, none of them should have known that so naturally they all did. Kakashi began to wonder if the alternative of staying at home and trying to read would have been the better option after all. He hadn't seen anymore of Lilia since Tsunade decided he had committed some heinous crime to which the only fair punishment would be assigning Lilia to his team. When Kakashi had informed the team of this, Naruto had loudly declared he was going to have words with 'Grandma Tsunade's' and Kakashi had nearly joined him. Turns out, Naruto had run into Lilia already and was angry with her not because she left the village but because she abandoned Sasuke.

After he refused to answer their questions, Iruka, Gai and Kotetsu got bored of questioning Genma. Iruka made his excuses and left whilst Gai stumbled up to the bar to buy more drinks. Kotetsu was roped into a game of 'spot pretty ladies' by Genma and both of them ignored his sullen silence.

"Oh, brunette at the bar with the blue shirt. She's really pretty." Kotetsu blushed and pointed in the woman's direction. The bar was busy enough that they weren't concerned with being over heard. Genma followed Kotestu's gaze and promptly burst into startled laughter. Surprised by this reaction, Kakashi looked to where they were looking. A woman stood at the bar laughing at something the large man next to her had said. Her brunette hair hung loose and long down her back, waving slightly. She wore casual clothing but her figure still showed through. Kakashi looked away quickly.

"Why are you laughing?" Kotetsu demanded angrily.

"Because that is Lilia Uchiha." Genma burst into a new round of laughter at the look of horror on Kotetsu's face.

Kakashi polished off his drink and excused himself. The two man watched after him as he made his way to the bar where Lilia stood with her ex-teammates and current ANBU guards, Dean and Kassia.

"Lilia." He said as he came to a stop beside her. Lilia turned to him, her eyes dancing with laughter and a bright smile on her face. The smile died a little when she saw him but it didn't disappear completely.

"Kakashi. What can I help you with?" She asked formally. Dean ordered another round of drinks and turned his back on them, striking a conversation with Kassia.

"Tsunade asked me to inform you that your skills test will be tomorrow afternoon at training ground three. Afterwards I thought you could meet the rest of team seven."

Lilia's smile dropped. "Tsunade does like to leave things last minute doesn't she?" She sighed. "Ok, thank you for letting me know."

Kakahsi nodded and left. Ignoring Gai who tried to entice him to stay with another shot, Kakashi left the bar and headed home. At least, he thought, he wouldn't have to seek Lilia out in the morning as he had been planning.

* * *

A/N: Good evening, hope you are all still enjoying the story! I promise there will be more Kakashi coming up! I enjoy reading stories where the development of the romance is quite long as I find it builds the tension and makes for a more enjoyable story. So, my story does rather eek out the romance side of things! I'm sorry to the people who like quick resolutions!

\- Quinn Thomas


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Lilia, Kassia and Dean sat on the grass of training ground three eating a packed lunch. The sun was blazing overhead and the noise from the village could only just be heard. It would have been relaxing were it not for the looming trial. Lilia knew she had no reason to be nervous, the skills test was simply to judge where best to put her once she completed probation. Of course she hoped she would be put back on a team with Dean and Kassia but they were still in ANBU and it was unlikely she would be accepted back and made privy to the inner workings of the village.

"How do you think they will test you?" Dean asked around a mouthful of sandwich.

"Don't know. They will probably get me to spar with someone." Lilia said thoughtfully. She was more concerned about who was going to be watching than the actual test. She had undergone a 'skills assessment' when she approached the Akatsuki with a view to joining. She had been made to fight Deidara to confirm she was strong enough to stand being a full member and she had won, just. That was years ago, however, and she had become much stronger since then.

"Feel sorry for whoever draws the short straw on that one!" Dean exclaimed. Kassia laughed.

"When you three are quite finished." Lilia turned her head to see the Hokage, flanked by ANBU and Shizune, was walking towards them. The three placed their lunches down and stood to give a bow. Lilia straightened and assessed the people with her. She was not surprised to see Ibiki was there but she was slightly surprised to see the elders. An old anger simmered from the sight of the people who caused so much pain and she wondered how they had been allowed to come near her. She could kill them right now if she wanted. But, if she did that she would prove them right, prove that the Uchiha's are nothing but criminals.

Tsunade stood near them and looked around. She sighed, "Where is Hatake?"

"Hey, Grandma Tsunade!" Naruto called as he ran towards the group, followed by a more sedate team.

Tsunade ignored him and looked at Lilia. "Ready?" Lilia nodded. "Good." The elders looked at her with obvious distaste and moved away. Sitting on a bench at the edge of the training ground. The ANBU moved with them. Lilia noticed another group approaching, headed up by Maito Gai. She recognized a few amongst the group including Genma. "As this is a skills test, we want to assess your strengths so I don't want you to hold back." Tsunade smiled at Lilia. "That being said, you are not allowed to use your Sharingan in the first round."

Lilia raised an eyebrow. "First round?"

"I figured since you have a clear advantage when it comes to jutsu I would split the test into two rounds. The first will be just taijutsu and the second will be 'everything goes'." Tsunade beckoned over Gai who came at a jog. Everyone else had moved to the edge of the training ground where the elders sat. Kassia touched Lilia's arm and muttered good luck before moving away as well. Dean was not quite so restrained and gave her a tight hug, ruffled her bound hair and then jogged away as she swatted at him.

"Lilia! I see the beauty of youth is still bright within you!" Gai greeted her in his usual enthusiastic manner. Lilia smiled at him.

"Gai, good to see you too. You look well - youthful as ever." Gai gave her a thumbs up and Tsunade rolled her eyes.

"Taijutsu only. Winner is the one to pin the other in a way that would allow for a kill shot." Gai nodded knowingly, it was standard sparring rules. Lilia had other concerns. Like how she was going to win against Gai and then fight another round with jutsu. Well, it would certainly test her stamina.

"You can start!" Tsunade called as she walked to join the others at the edge of the field. Lilia risked a glance after her and noted that quite a few more people had come to watch. She ignored how nervous that made her and faced Gai once more. He hadn't moved and stood a couple of paces from her.

He launched at her, punch ready and Lilia dodged, returning with a roundhouse kick aimed to his kidney. Gai blocked her leg and made to strike at her chest but she nimbly leapt back. Gai followed and forced her into defense. The dance of dodging, ducking and striking continued for some time though Gai showed no sign of tiring. Lilia, on the other hand, was beginning to feel the strain.

Gai launched at her again, aiming a kick to her head. Lilia ducked the kick and made to punch his stomach. Gai was too quick. He grabbed her fist mid punch and span her, pulling the arm up behind her and pulling her back against his body. His legs were together, meaning Lilia couldn't kick him in the groin as had been her first reaction. He raised his free hand and made to strike her neck. If it landed that would be classed as a killing blow. Lilia swung her leg straight up with as much force as she could manage, her foot flexed. In a show of incredible flexibility, Lilia's foot collided with Gai's head just over her shoulder. Gai dropped her arm in surprise and Lilia used the momentum from her leg coming down to spring forwards onto her hands and somersault away. She paused, catching her breath whilst Gai stared at her, hands clutching his nose. She could head Dean's booming laughter in the background. Lilia raised her guard again, ready for Gai to attack once more.

"Enough!" Tsunade called out. Lilia dropped her guard and looked confused to where Tsunade stood, her arms crossed and a smile on her face. "I think we have probably seen enough. I'll call it a draw." Gai began to protest that he could carry on, though his words were punctuated by blood dripping from his nose as he took his hands away. A young woman with pink hair stepped forward and walked towards Gai, casting a wary glance at Lilia.

"Gai-sensei, I am pretty sure it's broken." She chided as she tried to get him to stay still whilst she healed his nose, forcing him into a crossed legged position on the floor.

"If fairness to Gai, Lady Hokage," Lilia said, walking towards them. "He would have had me if we had carried on. I'm pretty exhausted!"

"You do not need to put yourself down for my sake – that was a truly youthful kick! I shall have to work harder so I can win next time!" The medic tending his nose squawked indignantly as Gai leapt to his feet. He span and pointed to a younger man with the same green spandex suit and haircut. "Lee, from now on if we must sit, we must only sit in the splits!" The younger man nodded and promptly dropped to the floor in a perfect front splits.

Oh no, Lilia thought, there's two of them!

Tsunade cleared her throat. "Do you need a rest for a minute, Lilia?" Lilia shook her head and Tsunade nodded. "Very well. The next round will have no limitations which will allow you to use the Sharingan," She paused and looked over to the small crowd of people. "Does anyone want to volunteer to spar with Lilia?" Naruto immediately jumped up and started to run over. The pink haired medic caught the back of his jacket as he tried to run past and demonstrating surprising strength, dragged him away. A few people looked at each other nervously. Dean stepped forward.

"Come on then, suppose it has been a while since I've kicked your ass." He grinned, stretching out his arms and making a display of his muscles. Lilia grinned wickedly at him.

"Oh, you're on!" The Sharigan bled red into her eyes and her pupils split, swirling slightly with the surge of chakra. Then she remembered she was facing a large group of people, including the elders. The ANBU began to move but Dean reached her first, nudging her with his elbow.

"Eh, do that all you want," He said, poking her forehead. "You don't scare me." Lilia forgot about her social faux pas and focused back on Dean.

"We'll see." She and Dean faced each other and Tsunade moved back to the crowd. The two opponents watched each other for a moment. Lilia was the first to make a move. The Sharingan swirled, a vortex opened behind her and she disappeared. A second later she reappeared beside Dean, her hand surrounded in lightning and the air filled with the screeching of birds. Dean dodged but not before his sleeve was burnt off from the heat. Lilia went on the offensive once again, flying through hand signs so fast her hands were nothing but a blur. The ground rocked, two massive dirt lions rose and charged at Dean. He fended them off with a water jutsu and narrowly avoided another chidori attack from Lilia who used the lions as a distraction to get behind him. Dean dodged as Lilia kept attacking, the lightning getting closer to its target. He managed to get in the hand signs for a water jutsu that pushed her back. Dean took the chance and sprinted closer to the lake. When Lilia appeared in front of him, her body sliding from the vortex as it had done before, Dean slid to a stop, only just managing to block Lilia's fire jutsu with a water one. Already it was becoming clear that Dean had the lower hand. Lilia was much faster than he was and able to churn out jutsu much quicker. Of course it didn't help that she could read every move he made before he made it and when he tried to get close enough to use his strength to his advantage, Lilia would hold him off with the chidori.

The battle continued until Dean took a blow to his shoulder. Thankfully Lilia was not using the chidori but a kunai. Even so, the blow still stung. Dean leapt back, putting some space between them and stepped straight into range of a hidden shadow clone. The clone shot out of the ground and held a kunai to Dean's throat – a killing shot.

Tsunade declared the end of the fight and the clone winked at Dean before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"When did you get a chance to make that?" Dean demanded as Lilia walked over to him. She just smiled knowingly which only increased the man's frustration. Dean ran a hand through his short, brown hair, hair that never quite seemed to sit flat.

As they walked back towards the crowd, Lilia dropped her Sharingan and the pink haired medic ran over to them. She didn't look at Lilia and instead focused on healing Dean's shoulder. Dean sighed with relief as the healing chakra moved through his shoulder. He noticed Lilia rub her bicep where a purplish bruise was appearing already. He vaguely recalled a punch making contact with her but he had been too focused on dodging her jutsu to really think about it.

"Sorry, Lia. I didn't mean to get you quite so hard."

"Don't worry about it," Lilia said with a smile. "It's just a bit numb!"

"Would you like me to heal it for you?" Lilia looked over at the pink haired medic. She was still avoiding eye contact and clearly didn't want to approach Lilia. The older woman took pity on her and smiled.

"No, honestly, it will be fine."

"Nonsense. You will be at a disadvantage if you don't get it healed. I'll do it." Tsunade said in a matter of fact way as she walked towards them, followed by Kakashi. Lilia looked between the two and frowned.

"What do you mean disadvantage?" She asked. Tsunade stayed quiet but placed her hands on her bicep and began to heal it. Lilia looked to Kakashi for the answer.

"The elders seem to think that it was an unfair test as you have the Sharingan." He offered.

"Ridiculous, it's just supposed to be an assessment of her skills!" Dean exclaimed. "There are so few Sharingan users left going against someone without it is a fairer assessment of Lilia's abilities." Neither Kakashi nor Tsunade said anything.

"So they want me to fight you?" Lilia hadn't looked away from Kakashi. His single eye met hers. "Great." She said, sarcastically. Tsunade finished her healing and stepped away. Sakura joined her and Dean followed, not before giving her another hug. That left her alone on the field with Kakashi. Lilia took a moment to take stock of her situation. She was tired but could still keep going and her chakra wasn't too depleted. All in all, she thought, she might not win but she would be able to hold her own.

Kakashi had only moved to uncover his Sharingan. Lilia activated her own and risked a quick glance at it. Three tomoe. He had progressed it and Lilia knew he had the ability to use the Mangekyo but she wasn't sure whether he trained it. Lilia smirked, she had full control over the Mangekyo and had progressed her Sharingan further than Itachi. She decided she would show off a little. When Tsunade gave them the command to begin, Lilia disappeared. The vortex she created was a gateway to the Mangekyo world. It allowed her to travel large distances in short periods of time. She focused her mind on the spot where Kakashi was, knowing he probably would have moved away from there the second she disappeared. It was a good job she was quick. The vortex opened and Lilia caught a blur of movement as Kakashi leapt away.

"Amaterasu!" She called as she re-entered the real world. Black fire raced towards Kakashi. He jumped in the air, avoiding it. Lilia could have followed him with the flames but they were dangerous. She had excellent control over them but they were like any other fire, able to burn out of control. Instead she extinguished them with a thought and chased after Kakashi. He began hand seals in the air. Lilia raised an eyebrow and copied, her hands seeming to move just a little before his. Two large water dragons rose from the lake and crashed into each other. Kakashi pushed forwards, meeting her head on and driving at her with a kunai. Lilia was forced to enter into taijutsu, an area both of them knew Kakashi was better at. Although her eyes could predict his movements, she just wasn't quite fast enough to block them all. He got a punch in to her stomach, thankfully without a kunai, and Lilia staggered back. She had to break the close combat or she would lose. The hand seals were done in a heartbeat and Kakashi leapt back as blue lighting surrounded her fist. Lilia swung at Kakashi and he dodged, she followed with a kick that he dodged as well. Lilia pushed her chakra down and kicked at Kakashi with the other leg, now surrounded in the blue lightning. As she had hoped, Kakashi jumped back a few meters, allowing Lilia to regain her comfortable range.

She pointed a finger at Kakashi and felt overwhelming satisfaction when he looked at it. Using her brothers jutsu, she trapped the copy-nin (Lilia resented the nickname, there were three other copy-nins, why did the non-Uchiha get the nickname?) in a genjutsu. She formed the illusions in her mind, making Kakashi believe she had disappeared and reappeared much closer, followed by an army of shadow clones. Each time he hit one it moved through him and continued to attack. Her hope was to use the genjutsu to disorientate him enough that she could start to exert her will until eventually Kakashi fell to the hypnotic powers of the Sharingan.

Really, she should have known it wouldn't be that easy. The illusions were interrupted when Kakashi launched a kunai at her. She was too slow to react and it wedged itself in her thigh. Lilia gritted her teeth against the pain but didn't look away from her opponent. As Kakashi ran at her, Lilia pulled the kunai free and leapt into the air. She reactivated Amaterasu and Kakashi dove out the way of the flames. Once again, she reabsorbed them before they could do any damage. She may not like Kakashi but her intent was not to kill him. She simply needed him to be on the defensive to give her enough time to recover slightly. Lilia landed, a safe distance from Kakashi, immediately starting hand signs.

Her chakra flared and existed her body, forming a large humanoid shape around her. Susanoo. It was one of the ultimate jutsu a Sharingan user could wield. Lilia ignored the pain of the summoning as her creation rose, taking her with it inside its chest. It's four arms unfolded, two carrying short swords similar to those used by ANBU and the other two carrying shields. Although one of her strongest jutsu, Lilia used it infrequently. The chakra required for the summoning was enormous and the pain of maintaining a fully developed Susanoo was great. But they wanted to see her strength and she wanted to show off.

Susanoo blocked a fire ball attack from Kakashi and swung at him with one of the swords. Kakashi dodged and Lilia responded with a fire ball of her own. It passed harmlessly through the white chakra of her Susanoo and flew towards Kakashi. He dodged and met her eyes. It didn't take a conscious though from Lilia to trap Kakashi in the Tsukiyomi. Susanoo began to melt around her as she was lowered to the ground, half her vision in the real world, the other half in the Tsukiyomi. Kakashi stood before her in that other world. She felt no need to bind him. He knew she had won.

"I'm surprised. I didn't expect to get you in this." Lilia said, gesturing to the grey toned field they were stood in. Although a wind appeared to ripple through the colourless grass and blow through grey leaves it seemed unable to so much as rustle the two nin's clothes. Kakashi shrugged, affecting an uncaring attitude but she could read the tension in every muscle.

"I made a mistake."

"I won't keep you here any longer. I know Itachi once caught you in this Genjutsu, I'm sure it's something you would rather not repeat." Lilia cast her eye back to the real world. She had only just touched the ground, Susanoo's chakra lingering around her.

"Lilia." Kakashi said after a moment's hesitation. "Why did you leave? Or, more importantly, why did you come back?" Lilia watched him for a moment but he wasn't going to take back the question. Lilia slowed the time, lengthening it so where an hour passed in Tsukiyomi, only a few seconds passed in the real world.

"Would you even believe me if I told you?" Lilia hadn't meant to sound so scathing.

"That would depend on whether it was the truth." Kakashi stuffed his hands in his pockets. Lilia rolled her eyes but gave it some serious consideration. Tsunade expected her to be on a team with this man. That involved a certain degree of trust. Perhaps the truth would help to repair some of the lost trust. Lilia felt she could ask this of the Hokage. She had agreed to not tell the village and keep the secret, surely one person would be acceptable?

"Tsunade has requested I not tell anyone until she feels the time is right. That being said, I'm sure she will understand," Lilia laughed. "Or throw me through a wall!"

* * *

A/N - Ok guys I need your help! I am writing much further ahead than I am posting and it is getting to the stage where my story will start crossing with the main series. I need your help in deciding whether or not to keep my story in line with what happens in the official story or whether I truly make it my own and head away from that.

I have story lines for both, however, I prefer the story line that will take me away from canon in quite a large way. How do you feel about that? Would you be fine with me deviating?

Also I am glad we are now past this chapter! It was awful to write and the next chapter all have Lilia's true personality which is so much more fun!

\- Quinn Thomas


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

 _The night of the Uchiha Massacre._

Lilia ran through the trees, leaping from branch to branch. Dean and Kassia kept pace. They were all tired having just completed a long intelligence gathering mission. It hadn't been a particularly strenuous mission but they had been away from home for two months and all three had pushed themselves to get home as quickly as possible. They dropped from the trees in front of the gate to the Leaf Village and walked through. The streets were empty which was unusual, despite the late hour. In silence, they walked towards the Uchiha compound. It was normal for Kassia and Dean to stay with Lilia after a long mission like this. If they returned home to their civilian families they found they would be awoken too early the next day and questioned about the mission. Shinobi families respected the need for some solitary time after missions. As they walked the road to the compound they started to see more people. Groups of ninja and civilians alike gathered around the entrance. The whispers stopped as Lilia walked past, making her feel paranoid.

"Why are there so many ANBU?" Kassia asked quietly. Lilia looked around and realized her friend was right. Covered in black cloaks and masks, the ANBU were everywhere. Usually they weren't seen in the village in their full gear and the sight of them out in the open made Lilia speed up.

"Lilia!" She stopped as an ANBU ran towards her. He didn't need to remove his ANBU mask to reveal who he was, Lilia would have recognized him anywhere. He lifted the mask to sit on top of his unkempt grey hair.

"Kakashi, what is going on?" She met his single eye and fear coursed through her. She went to shove past him but he grabbed her arm and pulled her into a hug. Lilia stopped fighting, surprised at such a public show of affection.

"Lilia," Kakashi seemed to stumble over his words. "There's been a massacre."

Her heart stopped. She couldn't breathe. Instead she collapsed into Kakashi, relying on him to support her.

"What?" It was Dean who asked, Lilia wasn't sure her voice would have worked.

"The clan… the whole clan… everyone. They've been killed." Kakashi's voice was quiet but to Lilia he might as well have shouted every word.

"Who would – who _could_ do such a thing?" Kassia asked. Kakashi didn't answer for a minute and when he did Lilia's world split and fell to pieces around her.

"They think it was Itachi."

"No." Lilia pushed from Kakashi with a shove. He stumbled back slightly. "No. No. No. No. NO!" Lilia took off towards the Compound, dodging people who tried to stop her. Her heart was racing and her mind blank. She shoved past the ANBU at the gates and span to them, her Sharingan swirling as they tried to restrain her.

"Let her pass!" Kakashi called as he, Kassia and Dean chased after her. The ANBU parted and Lilia sped down the main road. There were bodies strewn all across the street. Some had been wrapped in cloth, others lay where they had been slain. Blood seemed to cover every inch of the ground. Lilia stopped to look at none of it. Only one thought was on her mind.

 _Sasuke._

As she skidded round the corner of the market square, fountain still bubbling happily, she started to scan for chakra signals. Her Sharingan wasn't the strongest, it couldn't see through buildings like Itachi's could but it could pick out chakra signals even if they were behind an obstacle. She picked up the faint signal of Sasuke in her home and her heart lifted. _Please, let him be ok._ She leapt the garden gate and threw open the front door.

The smell of blood hit her. Lilia crossed to where her brother sat on the floor. The scene before her nearly broke her. Sasuke was sat in a pool of blood, clutching his mother's hand. Empty eyes stared at the ceiling but Sasuke had his head bowed, pressing his forehead to her hand. Lilia gripped his shoulders and tried to pull him away. Sasuke came to life, trying to throw her hands off him.

"No! Let me go!" He cried. Lilia refused.

"Sasuke. Sasuke come away." Her calm voice betrayed none of the turmoil raging inside her. She had to be strong, she had to be strong for him. Lilia pulled Sasuke free and clutched him to her chest. He buried his head against her and cried, loud wracking tears of grief. Lilia looked at her parents and could hold it in no more. She sank to her knees, drawing Sasuke protectively towards her and let the tears fall. She was vaguely aware that Kakashi, Kassia and Dean stood in the doorway but she ignored them.

"He did it. He- he –" Sasuke cried harder.

"Sasuke, what did you see?" Lilia was afraid to ask but she had to know.

"Big brother, I saw him. Lilia, I saw him. He killed them. He killed all those people. He told me to hate him. I do hate him!" Sasuke's words were hysterical.

"Lilia," Kakashi's voice was soft as he crouched beside her. She looked at him with tear filled eyes and he placed a hand on her shoulder. "We need to get him out of here." Lilia nodded but could say nothing. She rose, still clutching Sasuke to her and allowed Kakashi to guide them out of the house. They were shown to the hospital where Sasuke was examined for any injuries before he fell asleep still wrapped in Lilia's arms. Lilia simply stared ahead, unable to comprehend just what had happened. At some point in the night, Kakashi had left, apologizing but explaining he had to report to the Hokage. She asked that Dean and Kassia leave as well, though they initially refused. She needed time to think without people watching her. Eventually they relented and went home, promising to return first thing in the morning.

Lilia detangled Sasuke and moved him so he was under the covers of the hospital bed. She took a pad of a paper and a pen out of the bedside drawer and jotted a quick note, letting him know she had just popped out for some fresh air and would be back. Lilia didn't want Sasuke to wake and think she had left him too. Then she left the hospital, jumping out the window and taking off over the rooftops. She was careful to avoid any ninja in case they dragged her back to the hospital. The sun was beginning to rise, casting a grey glow over everything. Lilia was surprised by how long she had sat in a state of shock. She jumped from the rooftops when she reached the compound gate and slipped through. Activating her Sharingan, Lilia could see that there were no chakra signals nearby. She walked through the compound. The bodies were gone but the blood remained. She tried not to look at it. As she approached the main square, a figure appeared in front of her. Rage burned through her as she recognized him and she ran to attack.

"Lilia, please." Itachi pleaded as he blocked her punch. Her emotions clouded her mind, her attacks were sloppy. Itachi pushed her back. Lilia paused, panting heavily. She glared at Itachi, hatred pulsing through her veins. Then Itachi did something she hadn't seen him do since he was a baby. He cried. Itachi dropped to his knees and buried his head in his hands. The shock of seeing her brother so distraught calmed the rage inside. For a moment she thought about comforting him but then she remembered what Itachi had done and she froze.

"I'm so sorry, Lilia. I had to do it. The elders ordered me to. The clan were planning an uprising and they needed to be stopped." He explained through sobs.

"By murdering them?" Lilia yelled. "They were our family and you killed them. Fuck, Itachi, I saw children's bodies." Lilia's voice trailed off.

"I know. What I have done is unforgiveable but please, Lilia, please understand that I had to do it. It was for the village."

"Why did I not hear anything of this uprising?"

"You were too close to the village. Father saw that as a risk and kept you in the dark."

Lilia took a moment to process this. It did not surprise her that her father would plan such a thing, not really. Although Lilia loved the compound, he resented the clan being forced into isolation so the elders, Danzo in particular, could keep an eye on them.

"Sasuke. Me. You didn't kill us?"

"I couldn't. I made a deal with the Hokage. He will make sure Sasuke is taken care of and you will keep your position in the ANBU." Lilia crossed to Itachi and sank down beside him, not quite touching. She was tied, so very tired.

"What about you? What will happen to you now?" Lilia asked.

Itachi sighed. "I leave. I should have already left but I had to find you, I needed you to know the truth."

"Why did you tell Sasuke to hate you? Why not tell him the truth as well?"

"If Sasuke hates me," Itachi paused and Lilia could see the pain written all over his face. "If he hates me, he will stay true to the village. The two of you can restore the good name of our clan. I worry that if Sasuke were to know the truth he would hate the village for what it has done. He is too young to see the necessity of what I have done."

"I don't see it." Lilia declared angrily. "There was no reason the whole clan had to die. Itachi I understand you were following orders but you must see what pointless blood shed this was?"

"You understand?" Itachi looked at her and Lilia's heart broke in two. One piece for the love of her brother and village and one piece for the love of her clan.

"A part of me will always hate the ones who have put us through this, the ones who made you do it. But I don't hate you Itachi. How could I? You're my brother. I just," Lilia struggled for words. "I just need to understand. Everything is too much right now. I mean, look at us, we are sitting here surrounded by the blood of our family. Family that you killed." A hysterical laugh broke free and Lilia suddenly felt light headed.

"I know. I hope one day, you understand and you can start to forgive me. I have to leave." Itachi stood and Lilia scrambled after him.

"Wait!" She cried, grabbing his arm. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a fierce hug. "Be safe."

"You too, Lilia, be careful. Danzo, he isn't happy that you and Sasuke are still alive and he is collecting Sharingans." Lilia nodded against Itachi's chest but was so consumed with loss and grief she didn't truly process what he was saying. "I love you. I love both of you. Look after Sasuke." Itachi pushed her away and flicked her forehead. Then, with tears in his eyes and a smile, he vanished, leaving Lilia to fall to the ground and sob. There she was found a few hours later, curled up asleep surrounded by the memories of her clan, by Kakashi.

 _Three years later_

"No. No, Lord Hokage, please. You can't do this." Lilia begged. She stood in his office, facing the grim faces of not only the third Hokage but the elders and Danzo. "I have served you and the village faithfully. In the last three years I haven't failed a single mission I –"

"That's why we need you for this mission." Danzo interrupted. Lilia turned her gaze on him, anger welling inside her. In the years since the massacre she had been approached numerous times by Danzo who tried to recruit her to his little known branch of ANBU, Root. She had declined every time and it seemed he had finally had enough of her. "We need someone to infiltrate the ranks of the enemy and feedback information. Who better qualified than someone who has successfully completed so many S rank missions?"

"Why not ask Itachi? He would be willing to provide information and he is already within the ranks of the Akatsuki?"

"Itachi is a missing-nin, he is an enemy of the leaf village." The male elder said in distaste.

"Bull shit!" Lilia yelled. She was losing her temper. "Itachi did everything under your orders! He is the most loyal of all of us standing here!"

"Lilia," The Hokage spoke up when Danzo opened his mouth. He looked tired. "Itachi served the village at great personal cost but he has not been in contact with us for over a year. We know the Akatsuki are starting to gain momentum and we need someone on the inside." Even the Hokage sounded unsure as he fed her the excuse.

"You just want to get rid of me. I know the truth, I'm too dangerous to have around but I'm one of the last Uchiha, killing me off would make me a martyr. That's not what you want, you want our clan to go out in shame." Lilia spat the words at the group before her.

"Whatever the reason, you can either leave the village in service of your country or you can disobey our order and leave a missing-nin." Danzo smirked at her. Lilia's heart fell as she realized she had no choice.

"Ok." She whispered. She looked to the Hokage, his face marred with sorrow and knew his hand was being forced. "Don't tell Sasuke. Not yet. Wait until he is older, let him think both his brother and sister are traitors until he is old enough to understand the truth then please, I beg you, please tell him. I can't bare the idea of my baby brother hating me." Tears welled in her eyes and her voice felt thick but she refused to cry in front of these people. She would not show them her weakness. The Hokage nodded. The elders said nothing more, turning their backs on her they exited the office.

"I am sure we will meet again." Danzo said with a smirk. He too left, leaving Lilia alone with the Hokage.

"Lord Hokage, please…" She couldn't finish her sentence. It was no use. The decision had been made and his hand had been forced. Lilia took a deep breath and straightened. "Look after Sasuke."

"You have my word." The Hokage, in a rare display of affection, pulled her in and hugged her. The moment ended almost as soon as it began and Lilia stepped back. "You need to leave tonight. Pack a bag and meet me back here, I will take you through the underground tunnels to leave the village. It was the passageway Itachi used. Be as quick as you can."

Lilia left without a word and ran back to the compound in a daze. Sasuke was fast asleep in his room. She snuck in and gave him a kiss on his forehead. A tear dripped onto his pillow and Lilia left quickly, fearful of waking him up. She packed in a blur, not really aware of her actions. She was packing weapons when she picked up the engraved kunai that was always in her pouch but never used. It had the Uchiha symbol engraved on the hilt and the blade had been dotted with engravings of tomoes, the same as those that make up the Sharingan. It was her lucky kunai, given to her when she passed into ANBU by Kakashi.

Kakashi. Her friends. She had been so caught up in the thought of what this would do to Sasuke that she hadn't thought about how her friends would react. They would hate her too. For a moment Lilia sat and stared at the kunai until a thought started to take shape in her mind. It spiraled, becoming a full plan. She would leave a note for Kakashi telling him she was leaving because of Itachi. Kakashi knew her better than anyone else and he was the smartest man she knew. Perhaps between Dean, Kassia and Kakashi they would work out that something wasn't quite right about her departure. She couldn't stand the thought of anyone in the village thinking her a traitor but it broke her already fractured heart to think of them hating her.

Lilia hastily finished packing knowing she didn't have much time. Grabbing a pen and piece of paper she scrawled a quick note:

 _I'm sorry. He's my brother._

Then she crossed to her bookshelf, pulling out an orange bound book. It had been another gift from Kakashi in a misguided attempt to convince her they were well written, plot-filled books and not just wordy porn. She tucked the letter into the cover, leaving a small corner showing and shouldered her backpack. She shoved her window open and jumped out, landing on the next roof over. There, Lilia paused for a moment and looked back at the silent compound. She mourned the loss of her family and mourned the loss of her future. Unable to bare it any longer, she turned on took off towards Kakashi's house. Once there, she quietly laid the book in the flower box outside his window that contained only weeds. As soon as it was done she took off to the Hokage tower and then left the village for the last time


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Kakashi said nothing. He should have questions. He knew he should have a lot of questions but at that moment he was unable to think of any. Lilia watched him, a small smile on her face.

"I provided the third with information from within the Akatsuki until his death. Then, after bumping into Tsunade and confiding in her, I continued to feed information to her as well."

"Tsunade believed you?"

"You don't?" Lilia retorted. Kakashi again said nothing. He wasn't sure what to think. Lilia sighed. "Look, Tsunade listened to my story and then confirmed it when she became Hokage. Perhaps you should go and speak to her and let her confirm the truth of it? Though if you could wait until I am out of kicking distance, I would appreciate it."

"I will speak to Lady Tsunade." Kakashi confirmed. "We should leave now." Lilia nodded in agreement and released the Tsukiyomi. Only a few seconds had passed and no one had yet moved towards the pair. Lilia's Susanoo had disappeared and Kakashi stood a short way from her. Lilia felt weightless. Even if Kakashi didn't believe her it felt so good to tell someone the truth after all these years. "I admit defeat, I would have been unable to break out of the genjutsu." Kakashi called as he lazily walked back towards the group. Gai ran over to meet him.

"My eternal rival, we were both defeated by the same youthful flower," Lilia's eye twitched at the nickname and eyed Gai with the Sharingan. He ignored her. "We shall work together to better ourselves so that one day we may defeat the foe!" Kakashi stared ahead, looking like he wanted to slap a hand to his face. Or Gai's. As Gai escorted him away, Kakashi looked over his shoulder at Lilia.

"I have just remembered I have a very important meeting. We will have to postpone our team training." He called, lifting a hand in a casual wave. Lilia smiled and nodded. Tsunade walked over to her and looked down at her with suspicion.

"You want to tell me what that was about?"

Lilia grimaced. "Over a bottle of the most expensive sake the village has to offer?"

Tsunade put her arm around the shorter woman and dragged her away.

* * *

After throwing her across the room, Tsunade was actually very understanding.

"I suppose it makes sense." She grumbled into a cup of sake that cost the same as an A rank mission. It had been Lilia's treat, of course. Lilia said nothing as she sat next to the Hokage on a stall at the bar. The bartender had retreated to the other end of the bar after Tsunade's explosion of anger as had the few other patrons in there at this time of day. Tsunade stared thoughtfully into her cup for a moment and then drained it, reaching to the half empty bottle to top up. "I will speak to Kakashi and confirm the truth if he asks. In fact, you should tell Kassia and Dean as well," She looked at Lilia out of the corner of her eye when Lilia looked at her in shock. "They're your friends aren't they? Just remind them that it shouldn't be spread any further just yet."

Lilia nodded and sipped her sake to distract her from the urge to hug the Hokage. She didn't think the hidden ANBU would take too kindly to that. Carefully, Lilia placed the cup back on the counter and turned to face the Hokage. "You made sure Dean and Kass were appointed as my minders didn't you?"

Tsunade just smiled.

* * *

Four days later, Lilia filled Dean and Kassia in on what happened.

"I KNEW IT!" Dean bellowed. He jumped to his feet from his place on the sofa and began pacing the room, deep in thought. Kassia was looking at the floor, her brows knitted together in a frown. They had both come over as soon as they had returned from their mission, having been dispatched urgently the evening of the assessments. Lilia had suffered through four days of two unknown and very hostile ANBU and she could not be happier to have her friends back.

"Tsunade has said she is willing to provide confirmation of the events if you want." Lilia said, watching Dean as he walked the length of the room. Re-living the story in the room she had found her brother hunched over the bodies of their parents was hard. She followed Deans footsteps as he walked over the area their bodies had lain. Suddenly he stopped and looked to her. In a few long strides Dean walked towards where Lilia sat stiffly on the sofa and sank down next to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side.

"I'm sorry you went through that alone." He whispered into her hair as he rested his chin atop her head. Lilia smiled slightly and leant into his side, taking comfort and feeling safe against his hard chest.

"I don't need Tsunade to confirm anything," Kassia stated. "I trust you Lia." She placed a hand on Lilia's knee and smiled.

Lilia felt Dean nod. The tears came unwilled and she couldn't stop them once they had started. Lilia silently sobbed into Dean's chest as the fear and anger from the last five years mixed with her joy of having her friends back. Dean said nothing but rubbed her arm soothingly. Lilia heard Kassia stand and a few moments later a cup of steaming tea was pushed into her hands. Lilia looked up and smiled at Kassia, who was very uncomfortable around displays of emotion.

"Thank you. Both of you."

"So you told Kakashi as well?" Dean asked. "How did that go?"

Lilia wiped the tears from her face. "Better than it could have. He didn't outright call me a liar but he did say he would need to speak to Tsunade. I'm hopeful though that we could at least work on a team together."

"Ever the optimist." Dean commented. Lilia would have taken that as a compliment but it was delivered as an insult. She elbowed Dean in the rib cage and he laughed, scooting along the couch and giving her some space.

"I haven't seen him since though." Lilia remarked, sipping her tea and burning her tongue. A knock on the front door prevented her continuing her train of thought. Kassia walked and opened it, stepping aside as two ANBU walked in. Genma had his mask on top of his head. He looked over to where Lilia had risen as they walked in and seemed to do a double-take before clearing his throat. Belatedly, Lilia realized her face was probably still tear streaked and red. She was an ugly crier and her face usually stayed red and blotchy for long after she finished crying. She schooled her features into what she hoped was intimidating annoyance at the interruption.

"Tsunade wants to see you." Genma said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking uncomfortable.

"Now." The other ANBU commented, in case the two spooks on her doorstep didn't make it clear that it was urgent. Noting the familiar mask and the way Kassia tensed as he spoke, Lilia could only assume it was Kenzo. Lilia gestured for the two to lead the way and she followed, Kassia and Dean on her heels.

* * *

"When do I leave?" Lilia's mind was already racing through what she would need to take. Not expecting to be leaving the village for another few months she didn't have her grab bag packed and ready.

"Lady Hokage, I must object to this." Kenzo spoke up.

"You may object all you wish but this is the best option." Tsunade peered at the still masked ANBU over tented fingers.

"And why can't we go with her?" Dean questioned, his tone bordering on insolent.

"I can get in and out of the group without a fight, I have an 'understanding' with the leader." Lilia answered, looking at Dean. "I go in and get them out without a fight."

"The gang's base is on the border with Stone. If I send enough nin in there to take out the group there is a risk Stone will see it as an act of aggression. If Lilia can get in and get them out without a fight that is my best option." Tsunade held a hand up to silence Kenzo as he started protesting again.

"If I leave today I can be at the border by midday tomorrow. I will get them out and be back at the village within four days which will allow time for us to travel without chakra should Team Seven's injuries prove bad enough." Lilia looked to the Hokage. "I won't fail."

Tsunade smiled. "I know."

Lilia looked to the small dog sat on the floor in front of the Hokage's desk. "Ready to go Pakkun?" The dog nodded.

* * *

A/N I know this chapter is short but I will post the next chapter now to make up for it :)

\- Quinn Thomas


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

He hurt. Trying to assess his injuries wasn't working as nearly every bit of his body was screaming at him. Kakashi lifted his head, ignoring the pain, and looked to where Sakura, Naruto and Sai were chained. All four of them had been fitted with chakra cuffs and Naruto was unconscious. Sai was watching Kakashi, no doubt trying to come up with an escape plan himself.

They were chained to posts in the middle of what appeared to be a huge army camp though was really a mercenary base. Kakashi and his team had been sent to put an end to a human trafficking ring that had been terrorizing some of the smaller villages on the border of Fire country. The trafficking ring turned out to be just a small part of a much larger gang. The gang had discovered them and had overwhelmed the small team with their sheer numbers. After they had threatened to kill Sai and Sakura, Kakashi had managed to secretly summon Pakkun and send him back to the village for help before forcing Naruto to surrender.

Naruto hadn't gone quietly. Even after they had got the chakra inhibitors on him he had insisted on loudly insulting and threatening gang members, so they knocked him out.

Kakashi surveyed the situation. It wasn't a good one. He had been in worse situations but they had all ended with the death of a team mate and that was something Kakashi refused to allow to that to happen. They were all solidly bound by chains to hoops in the floor so they couldn't force their way out. Really, all he could do was wait and hope the village sent help soon. Kakashi hated feeling so helpless and he internally berated himself for having landed his team in this situation. He should have been more careful. When they discovered the size of the gang he should have ordered a retreat. But then Naruto wore him down after they witnessed a civilian woman being dragged into the compound. They were just supposed to get in and get her out but it had gone wrong. It was a stupid plan and Kakashi should have known that. A voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Got hold of 'im, Rev." Kakashi looked to where two mercenaries stood talking to the side of them, both wore the red and black bands around their right arm that marked them as part of the same gang. "Reckons one of 'em will be 'ere soon to collect the blonde boy. Says we oughtn't kill the others neither as 'e might want 'em."

"Fine." The shorter man, Rev, answered. He was the second in command. "Oh and let the others know the Boss isn't to be disturbed." Rev winked and the other man chuckled darkly. A roll of disgust ran through Kakashi, he could only imagine what the Boss was busy with and it likely had something to do with the woman they had seen being dragged in here the day before. They had been captives here for about a day now.

Naruto stirred and groaned.

"Naruto are you ok?" Sakura asked worriedly. Naruto groaned but nodded.

"Oi, Rev!" Kakashi looked to where a man stood atop what looked like a crow's nest rising 14-15 feet in the air. He was leaning over the side of the railing and waving at the Second in command. "Akatsuki approaching from the east!"

Kakashi internally cursed. This was bad.

"Which one?" Rev called.

"Not sure." The taller man paused as he peered through his binoculars. "Shit! It's Uchiha! Coming at a run!"

Rev swore loudly. "Get the gate open. You." He pointed to a very nervous looking man. "Go and warn the Boss." The man nodded and ran off. A shirtless man approached Rev, he was bulky though not all of it was muscle.

"Thought she was supposed to be dead?" He sounded annoyed.

She? Kakashi thought. Surely they had gotten it wrong. Lilia had left the Akatsuki and there was no way the Hokage or the elders would sanction her leaving the village so soon. Unless, she really was working for the Akatsuki still and had returned to the village to get her hands on Naruto.

"Yeah, well, me too, Kenta. Fuck, this is bad." Rev paced, glancing nervously at the 6ft tall gate that was being pulled back from the make shift wall surrounding the camp. "She's gunna kill us if she discovers we been pulling women again."

Lilia knew about the trafficking? So why hadn't she taken out the group?

Suddenly everything stopped. All the men in the camp froze as a figure cloaked in red and black to match her eyes appeared in the entrance way of the camp. Kakashi had never been afraid of Lilia, not even when he had fought her after she left but he could understand now why these men were so nervous.

She was terrifying.

Lilia strode into the camp, eyes moving lazily to survey the scene before her. There was no emotion in her face, no sense of fear at being so outnumbered. When her eyes came to rest on the group, he heard Sakura whimper quietly. Kakashi met her eyes for a split second before dropping his gaze her mouth.

 _Trust me._

The words in his head were his voice but they were not his thought. He knew it was a thought Lilia had planted, a request. He thought logically about the circumstances. It was clear that the group both knew and feared Lilia and she was wearing her Akatsuki cloak. That could only mean she had had some sort of dealings with the gang in her days in Akatsuki. There was a slim chance that the Hokage had sent Lilia to help them, knowing she would be able to get in and get out again. Kakashi looked her in the eye and didn't look away.

Her gaze didn't linger and locked it onto Rev standing not far from Kakashi.

"Lilia, always a pleasure to see you." Rev's tone was sickly sweet.

"Where is Tail?" There was no inflection to Lilia's voice. Tail, Kakashi knew, was the nickname of the gang leader. Rev looked around nervously.

"I, well that is, he is-" Rev was cut off when he erupted into black flames. Kakashi flinched and the men standing nearby flew back from the heat. Lilia watched the flames impassively and then, as suddenly as they had erupted, the flames disappeared, leaving behind a pile of ash.

"You." Lilia turned away from the remains of Rev and looked at a very small, very terrified looking man. The man flinched and Kakashi's sensitive nose picked up the distinctive odour of urine. "Find me Tail. I suggest you don't keep me waiting."

"He has a woman." Kakashi's voice was rough and it hurt to speak. Lilia's eyes snapped to his one uncovered eye as the man scurried away. She strode towards him and fisted the front of his jacket, yanking Kakashi to his feet. He didn't resist though his body certainly protested.

"What?" Lilia whispered harshly.

"Tail, he has a woman. They kidnapped her last night, not that a criminal like you would care." Kakashi sneered. Lilia dropped his shirt and Kakashi sank back to the floor. Lilia marched passed Team Seven and Kakashi turned his head to watch her go. She entered a crumbling building and Kenta punched Kakashi in the gut.

"Now you've done it. She'll kill us all you bastard!" As Kenta pulled back to punch Kakashi again a crash and a yell sounded from behind them. Kenta backed away from Kakashi and Kakashi turned his head to see a man laying prone on the floor, gripping his right leg and moaning. The first floor window was smashed.

Lilia appeared in the doorway of the building, her Akatsuki cloak missing. As she strode out a figure followed, holding the black and red cloak closed around her. It was the woman the gang had kidnapped and she looked angry. Lilia walked towards the man on the floor who was trying to sit up despite a very clearly broken leg.

"Lilia, I didn't – that is, I thought you were dead." Tail whined, scrambling backwards as she descended on him. Flames shot up behind Tail, halting his retreat.

"We had an arrangement, Tail." Lilia's voice was like ice. "You enjoy the benefits of our protection and in return you work for me and you cease dealing in humans." She placed a foot on the leg Tail was clutching and pushed down. Tail squealed. "Do you know what I do to those who break faith with me, Tail?" Wisely, Tail refused to make eye contact.

"Please, I won't do it again," He whimpered. "It was just one woman."

"Just one woman?" A voice exploded from behind Lilia. It was the woman. "I am not just 'one woman'! My name is Asami and you have been kidnapping the women from my village and the surrounding villages for weeks!" Asami tried to shove passed Lilia but Lilia held her back. Lilia looked into Asami's eyes and placed her hands on her shoulders.

"Look away, Asami." Lilia said quietly. "You don't want to see this."

"Yes, I do." Asami stared back defiantly. Lilia paused a moment longer before nodding. She stalked towards Tail who stared at her feet.

"You deserve a death far more painful than the one I am going to give you but I don't wish to inflict that memory on Asami." Lilia grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hauled Tail up. Were the circumstances different, Kakashi would have found it amusing that Lilia had dragged a man almost a head taller than her off the ground and held his at eye level. Tail whimpered as weight went on his broken leg. "Look at me, Tail."

The man refused to meet Lilia's swirling red and black gaze. The black flames of the Amaterasu that had been burning on the ground began to creep towards the pair. They rose, licking up Tail's legs and began to eat at the fabric of Tail's trousers. He cried out in pain.

"Look me in the eyes, Tail and I will make it stop."

Tail relented and looked up. The flames disappeared, Lilia's eyes swirled and a few seconds later, Tail screamed. Kakashi knew what she had done, he had experienced it himself at the hands of Itachi and had been caught in Lilia's during their spar. She had used the Tsukiyomi. Whilst seeming only to have lasted a couple of seconds, the torture Tail would have endured in that world would have felt like hours, perhaps even days. Lilia dropped the man to the ground where he lay, sweating and panting. The sound of a thousand birds filled the air and Lilia drove the Chidori through Tail's chest. When she stood again, the camp was deathly silent.

"Good riddance." Asami muttered, pulling the cloak tighter around her. Lilia glanced back at the woman and then turned to Team Seven and Kenta.

"You. What's your name?"

"K-Kenta."

"Well, Kenta. You are in charge now. I suggest you obey my instructions or you will find yourself suffering the same fate. There will be no more human trafficking, do I make myself clear? The only thing that prevents me from laying waste to this whole camp right now is that some of you have proven yourselves to be vaguely useful."

"I understand." Kenta gave a deep bow.

"Good. Now, unchain the Leaf nin, I will be taking them with me." Lilia turned to face Asami and Kakashi could no longer hear what she was saying. Kenta had signaled to two other men who ran over and began unchaining him and his team. Kakashi looked at them as he was pulled to his feet. Naruto still looked in a daze and Sakura was whispering to him, a look of worry on her face. Naruto leaned heavily on the girl and without her chakra enhanced strength she stumbled a little. Sai was staring at Lilia and appeared to be mostly unharmed, though he was developing a nasty black eye.

"Leave the chakra cuffs but give me the key." Lilia was standing beside him now, Asami just behind her. Kakashi shot her his best glare but she ignored it. "If you don't keep up you will be left to rot in the woods." Lilia strode passed them towards the gate of the compound. Kakashi urged Sakura and Sai ahead of him and looped Naruto's cuffed hands over his neck. Pain in his back exploded as he hoisted the Jinchuuriki onto his shoulder but Kakashi ignored it and followed the procession out of the gate.

* * *

A/N Hope you are all enjoying the story so far! Please favourite/follow the story and leave a review :)

\- Quinn Thomas


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

"Hell no! I'm not going any further with you. Kakashi-sensei why aren't we fighting back?"

"We have no chakra, Naruto and you are currently unable to walk. Now, please, stop moving." Naruto was still on Kakashi's back and was now fully conscious. Of course, Kakashi was happy his team mate was ok, if still unable to walk, but every time the man moved, it caused the pain in his back to flare up.

"Be quiet." Lilia hissed. She was walking ahead of them and had been since they left the compound. Asami was silent behind her. The group had been walking for a little over three hours and Kakashi could see the pain his team were enduring. If Lilia was here to help them, why had she not stopped to remove their chakra inhibitors?

Suddenly, Lilia came to a halt.

"Ok, we should be far enough away now." Lilia span on her heel and pulled out a scroll. Releasing the seal, Lilia revealed a medical kit. She moved to Sakura and, using the key Kenta had given her, she unlocked Saukra's cuffs. "Can you start triage? I'll unlock the others and then start a scout." Sakura looked warily at Lilia who still hadn't deactivated the Sharigan. "We are not far from an Akatsuki controlled town and I can't risk them sneaking up on us. Please, I am here to help get you home." Lilia's voice was full of emotion, a sharp contrast from the icy tone she had used in the camp.

As Lilia unlocked the cuffs of the other member of Team Seven, Sakura introduced herself to Asami and began a quick inspection for injuries. Lilia had unhooked Naruto's arms from around Kakashi's neck and was trying to get him to sit down when she her head suddenly shot up. She tried to shush Naruto who was wriggling around trying to get away and calling her every name under the sun.

It all happened quite fast after that.

Lilia dropped the struggling Naruto and launched herself at Kakashi, who was still wearing his chakra cuffs. Too late, Kakashi noticed something that looked like a spider flying through the air towards him. With his injuries and without his chakra he was too slow to avoid it. He felt Lilia grab his arm and pull him towards her. The spider flew over his shoulder and hit a tree behind him which exploded in a shower of splinters. Lilia yanked him behind her but the movement left her too slow to react to the second and third spiders that had been directly behind the first. Lilia raised an arm to shield her face from the creatures. One spider landed on her arm and the other landed on her torso. They exploded, launching Lilia back into Kakashi. They both fell to the ground, Kakashi unable to break his fall due to the cuffs.

Lilia rolled off him and rose to her knees. Kakashi sat upright and looked at her arm. The fabric of her shirt had been burned away and the skin underneath was red and blistered. The wound to her stomach looked worse.

"Managed get the little bastards in the Mangeyko as they exploded. Wasn't quite quick enough with the second one though." Lilia explained, wincing as she leaned over him and unlocked his cuffs with the key still clenched in her uninjured hand. Kakashi said nothing. "Better get up quickly, that was Deidara." Lilia rose and offered her good hand to Kakashi. Kakashi took it, gripping her forearm and allowing her to pull him up.

"Deidara blew himself up." Kakashi pointed out, recalling their fight after the Akatsuki member went after the Kazekage.

"You soon learn that Akatsuki members have a habit of not staying dead." Lilia grinned at him. She watched him for another moment and then frowned. "Kakashi your chakra still isn't flowing. Were you hit with anything?"

"Would you look at this, un? Seems as though the traitor collected our package for us?" Deidara emerged onto the pathway in front of the group. Lilia rolled her eyes (a weird sight considering she still had the Sharingan activated) and folded her arms across her chest.

"What do you want Deidara. I don't have time to play with you right now." Her voice was simpering, as though speaking to a child. Deidara gritted his teeth.

"Hand them over Lilia, I don't want to fight you, un."

"I'm sure you don't!" Lilia laughed. "You know I would kick your ass."

"Oh yeah? How long you been using the Sharingan for, un? You weren't quick enough to avoid my art." Deidara folded his arms, looking smug. Black flames sprang up around his feet and he yelped, dancing backwards. Lilia smirked.

"You know I can keep this up all day, Dei-dei." Deidara growled at the nickname and Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Lilia. She met his eye and smiled, though it quickly fell. Kakashi recalled her earlier comment about his chakra. He tried to summon it but it wasn't responding as it should. Instead of flowing like water, his chakra felt heavy and thick, like syrup. The pain in his back reminded him he had been slashed by a kunai in the fight the day before. He didn't think the cut had been deep but there was a risk the kunai had been laced with something.

"Hand the Kyuubi over, un." Deidara wasn't messing around anymore. From the look on her face, neither was Lilia.

"Make me." She charged the blonde man, hands a blur with the signs for a fire jutsu. Deidara dodged and withdrew his hand from the pouch at his hip, throwing a handful of tiny spiders in Lilia's direction. Lilia dodged and used an earth jutsu to force Deidara back.

"My chakra is almost gone." Lilia's voice came from beside Kakashi. He turned his head and saw a shadow clone standing there. In the midst of her hand signs she must have gotten the ones in for the shadow clone jutsu. Amazing really that he hadn't been able to spot when she did it. "Get everyone together and when I give the signal they all need to be touching me." Her eyes slid to his. "Got it?"

Kakashi nodded and the clone disappeared. The real Lilia was still fighting Deidara but hadn't yet managed to get a good hit in. Kakashi moved quickly to Sakura's side who was trying to work out why Naruto couldn't stand. Sai and Asami stood next to them. Every few seconds the medic would cast nervous looks in the direction of the fighting pair.

"Is everyone ok?" Kakashi asked, aiming the question at Sakura knowing she would be the only one give an honest answer.

Sakura shook her head worriedly. "I can't work out why Naruto is unable to stand and my chakra is too depleted to be able to do a proper examination. Everyone else is a little beat up but otherwise seems ok." Sakura glanced to Lilia and Deidara again.

"Don't worry about them. We need to get everyone together and when Lilia gives the signal, make sure you are touching her." Kakashi turned and watched the fight. He felt helpless. He wanted to fight as well but his body was moving sluggishly and he had no chakra. He would be more of a hindrance right now.

"Kakashi-sensei, should we be trusting her?" Sakura asked.

"Why not?" It was Naruto that answered. "I mean, she did just take a bomb for Kakashi-sensei."

Naruto was right. Lilia might not have been risking her life for him since she could simply vanish the bombs but she had pulled him out of harm's way and she had gotten injured during the process. Not only that but she had risked her life to get them out of the camp and she was risking her life now, fighting with depleted chakra to keep them safe.

"I was under the impression that you did not like Lilia Uchiha?" Sai commented.

Naruto shrugged. "Eh, still don't like that she abandoned Sasuke but she can't be all that bad if she is trying to help us."

Kakashi looked at Sakura and smiled, his visible eye creasing.

"We trust her."

"Now!" Lilia's yell broke through their thoughts. Kakashi's head shot to the battle where Lilia had managed to trap Deidara against a tree, the branches had bent down and were binding him securely to the trunk. Lilia sprinted to the group, Sharingan already swirling. Kakashi, Sakura, Asami and Sai placed a hand on her shoulder and Lilia grabbed the back of Naruto's jacket.

Kakashi felt like he was drowning, like he was being sucked into a whirlpool. He couldn't breathe and he no longer knew which way was up. All he was aware of was his hand on Lilia's shoulder. He gripped it tighter, ensuring he wouldn't lose the anchor point.

As quickly as it had begun, the sensation vanished. Kakashi became aware that he was knelt on the ground, his hand still resting on Lilia's shoulder. Sai and Sakura were panting and Naruto was groaning from his prone position on the floor. Asami was looking around, dazed. Kakashi looked around too, he recognized the place they were in as her Tsukiyomi. Is this where Lilia was going when she vanished into those vortexes? Had she developed a way to use the Tsukiyomi to travel?

Lilia hunched forwards and gripped her head, moaning in pain. Kakashi got to his feet and quickly moved in front of her.

"Lilia, look at me." He put his hands on her shoulders. Lilia looked up, her right eye was bleeding and she was squinting, as though even the dim light hurt her eyes. "You've over used the Sharigan."

Lilia snorted. "I had worked that out. My own fault I used them all night and have used them all day today." She stood and Kakashi noticed the wound on her stomach was bleeding freely, she must have made it worse during the fight.

"You need to rest. You shouldn't have pushed yourself so much." He chided.

"I need to get us out of here and back to the village." Lilia massaged her temples and stared off into the distance. "Besides, if I hadn't pushed myself the real Akatsuki would have shown up before I got there. Deidara was flying to the camp when he spotted us." Lilia trailed off, a small frown of concentration on her face. "Ok, best we go straight to the Hokage, I am worried about why your chakra system is looking so messed up. Grab hold."

Kakashi, Sai, Sakura and Asami placed a hand on Lilia and Naruto reached out to grab her ankle. The sensation of falling into a whirlpool started and ended within seconds. The vortex was replaced with shouting instead and Lilia was ripped away from their grip. Kakashi managed to stop his head from spinning and focus on his surroundings to see Ibiki shoving Lilia to the ground, her injured arm pinned behind her back.

"Wait!" Kakashi shouted at the same time as Tsunade ordered Ibiki to stand down.

"Ibiki get off of her right now!" Tsunade yelled, rounding her desk. Ibiki reluctantly moved off of her and Lilia pushed herself to a sitting position. Tsunade knelt in front of her and lifted each of her eyelids. "You stupid girl, you've completely over worked your eyes."

"Lady Hokage, just so you know, Kakashi has been poisoned and it is impacting his chakra system. Might want to treat him fi-" Her sentence cut of as Lilia's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed sideways. Tsunade caught her.

"Shizune, escort everyone to the Hospital and get to work isolating and treating the poison in Hatake." Tsunade stood and heaved the unconscious Lilia over her shoulder. She looked at Asami wearing Lilia's Akatsuki cloak. "You can't wear that through the village – whoever you are."

"I'm naked under this." Asami informed the Hokage bluntly. Tsunade looked slightly taken aback but smiled.

"Well then, best you keep it on. Shizune get going."

"Lady Hokage, I really don't need to-"

"Shut it, Hatake. You're going to the hospital even if I have to drag you there myself." The look in Tsunades eye showed she would very much like to drag him there so Kakashi, wisely, shut up.

As the Hokage moved to the window and leapt out onto the roof tops, the rest of the group trailed behind Shizune, who walked ahead with Sakura discussing the results of her basic triage. Kakashi followed, his hands shoved in his pockets.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The hospital room was crowded. Lilia sat up in the bed, listening to Kakashi give his report of the mission. It had been two days since they had returned and Lilia had only woken up that morning. Apparently she couldn't handle chakra exhaustion like she could when she was younger. In the small room had crowded the Hokage, Shizune, Sakura, Sai, Naruto, Kakashi and Asami. Kassia and Dean had squeezed in as well and now sat in the corner, trying not to draw attention to themselves in case Tsunade kicked them out. Lilia was pleased to note that Naruto had walked in under his own strength and had even brought her a cup of instant ramen noodle because the hospital food was, in his words, "Shit".

Sakura and Sai also looked much better and even Sai's black eye seemed to have vanished. She could only assume that Kakashi's chakra system was back to normal as the Hokage had warned her that should she use her Sharingan or Byakugan again for the next few days she would remove them herself for study. Lilia didn't fancy testing how serious Tsunade was about that threat.

When Kakashi had finished his report, all eyes turned to Lilia. She recounted how she had taken out the ring leaders of the gang and instated a new head, one that would hopefully be more easily controlled. The act kept up appearances that she was there on behalf of the Akatsuki and helped to get them all out without a fight. It also meant, though she didn't tell the Hokage this, her spy network was kept intact as many of her informants were part of the gang.

It became clear that Asami had explained her role to the Hokage and Tsunade informed Lilia that a B class mission would be assigned to a group of Chuunin to escort Asami back to her village. Asami had begun to protest that it was too much but the protests died when Tsunade shot her a glare.

"Lilia," Sakura started quietly when Lilia had finished her side of the report. "How is it that you were able to use such high level Sharingan jutsu as often as you did without more damage? I saw the results of your eye test, you have better than 20/20 vision."

"I believe it is a side effect of the Byakugan." Lilia smiled kindly at Sakura. Out of all the members of Team Seven, Sakura seemed the most wary of her. Even Naruto seemed to have warmed to her a little and she wanted to make sure the team's medic was on her side! "I can't use the Byakugan to its full capabilities but I think it has altered the structure of the chakra pathways enough that the optical nerves are protected from the Sharingan. Whilst I can still over use the Sharingan I won't suffer the same blindness my clan members would."

"You believe?"

"Yes, I don't know for sure. I would like to though!" Lilia grinned at Sakura who looked deep in thought.

"If I compared your eyes to Kakashi-sensei's Sharingan it would help to work out if the Byakugan is what is causing the difference. Of course," Sakura was rambling. "Kakashi-sensei's eye might be different anyway as it is a transplant but it might be a good place to start." Sakura suddenly seemed to remember where she was. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sure you don't want me to look at your eyes. I know clans like to keep their Kekkei Genkei secret."

Lilia shrugged. "Well since I am the only Uchiha in the village I think that makes me head of the clan and I can only see benefits to having you study my eyes. Never know, you might be able to work out a way to slow down the blinding process." Lilia held a hand to her mouth and stage whispered to Sakura. "Might help keep Kakashi in a job, we all know he is useless without the Sharingan."

"And here was me thinking I was the one who made jonin at 13, without the Sharingan." Kakashi retorted, giving his familiar eye squeeze.

Lilia laughed. "Touché."

"Come on, everyone out," Tsunade called, clapping her hands. "Lilia needs more rest. No, don't argue." She said as Lilia opened her mouth. "I also shouldn't have to remind anyone that this mission is to remain confidential. No one should know that Lilia left the village." She eyed everyone in turned but lingered the longest on Naruto who pouted and mumble something that sounded like an agreement.

"If you don't mind, Lady Tsunade, I would like to have a word with Lilia." All eyes turned to Kakashi in surprise. Tsunade looked to Lilia who shrugged.

"Fine but don't be long. I mean it when I say you need to get some rest." Tsunade glared at Lilia before leaving the room, followed by the others who all wished Lilia a quick recovery. All except Dean who punched her arm, hugged her and told her not to be so damn stupid next time.

"Love ya, Lil!" He called as he exited the room. Lilia frowned at his back before focusing her attention back on the white haired man beside her. Kakashi had taken the seat next to the bed that Tsunade had been sat in. Lilia took a moment to study him, something she hadn't really been able to do since she returned. He looked much the same as ever. Same unruly hair that looked as though it had never seen a brush. Same terrible posture. She met his single uncovered eye and realized he had been doing the same to her.

"Been a while, hasn't it." Lilia commented, not really knowing what else to say.

"I spoke to Tsunade." She could always count on Kakashi to get to the point.

Neither of them said anything.

"Kakashi, I-" Lilia paused. "No, I'm not sorry I left. It was my job and I did it. I am sorry for the way things were left between us but I couldn't have let Deidara and Sasori see that I had any ties in the village." She was referring to their last run-in, when Kakashi had confronted her on his way back from a mission.

She had been with the Akatsuki for just over six months and had been on a mission to the Hidden Sand Village with Deidara and Sasori to gather information about the one-tailed jinchuriki. They had already set up camp when the ANBU squad had appeared. Lilia could still vividly recall the feel of her heart dropping to her stomach when she recognized the leader as Kakashi. The fighting had started immediately and she did her best to hold him off without killing him.

"What are you waiting for? Kill them." Sasori had growled from inside his puppet. She could tell Kakashi was injured, he was slower than normal and had obviously used a lot of his chakra already.

"Why are you with them?" Kakashi had hissed as their kunai clashed, leaving his ANBU mask inches from her face. Lilia didn't answer and Kakashi had slashed at her again. "Answer me!"

Lilia jumped back, it was rare that Kakashi lost his temper. She had to end it and get away, she hadn't been sure how long she could have kept it up. It had hurt too much. Lilia had used an earth jutsu to trap the weakened leaf nin, including Kakashi. The ground had risen up and pulled them to the floor, pinning them there. Lilia had shut down her emotions, something she had not been very good at doing, and ordered Deidara and Sasori to retreat. They had looked at her suspiciously and Lilia had known they were wondering over her reluctance to kill the leaf nin.

"Today I will let you live, the shame of returning to the village as failures is punishment enough." She had crouched inches away from Kakashi and looked into the eye holes of the mask. "Next time you come after me, I will not be so lenient." It had broken her heart to walk away but walk away she did. She had later faced scrutiny from Pein over her decision and it had taken a while for the suspicion to be alleviated but the alternative was unthinkable.

"I understand." Kakashi said quietly, pulling her back to the present. "I won't pretend I wasn't angry, I was but I'm sorry for assuming the worst. I should have known better."

Lilia laughed. "The 'I'm sorry's could go on for a while but to be honest, I don't need them. I know that things can't just go back to how they were five years ago but you were one of my closest friends, Kakashi, I would really like to try and get that back." Although she tried not to let it show, her heart was pounding. To her relief, Kakashi gave his happy eye crease.

"I'd like that too. I believe Genma is dragging me to Ostray's bar tomorrow evening for, and these are his words, 'congratulations on not dying drinks'. Why don't you join us?"

Lilia smiled brilliantly at him. "Sounds good. Shame I can't tell them about the mission though. Maybe saving the infamous copy-nin's life would get me back in some good books."

"I hardly think you saved my life. Another few minutes and I would have escaped."

"Oh really? What about Deidara and his bombs? I expect you had some hidden plan to get out of that one too."

"Naturally."

"Well next time make it known before I take a bomb to the stomach."

"I can't make any guarantees."

Lilia laughed again. Kakashi smiled but it faded quickly. It was too easy. Too easy to fall back into their old ways. Whatever the reason Lilia had left, the fact remained that she had left. Kakashi was cursed to lose everyone he loved and he couldn't let anyone get too close. It would only end in pain. None the less, he did want to rebuild some of the bridges that had been destroyed between them.

"I should probably let you rest or risk the wrath of Tsunade." He said, standing. A look of disappointment flashed across Lilia's face before she smiled.

"I might be risking it when I sneak out of here later on tonight. Don't worry, Dean will be coming to escort me." Lilia rolled her eyes at Kakashi who had been about to argue to the appropriateness of her sneaking through the village alone. Lilia held her hand up, showing a piece of tissue with something written on it.

 _I'll be there at 9._

Kakashi chuckled. "Some things never change. You two always could read each other's minds."

"Yeah, guess that is what happens when you spend nearly every minute with someone."

"You know there was a rumour going round that you two were together?"

"Yeah, wouldn't be surprised if that resurfaces, the village does like to gossip."

Kakashi turned towards the door. "Try not to get caught sneaking out." He lifted a hand in a wave and left, leaving Lilia grinning in her bed.

* * *

The next evening Lilia and Kassia met Kakashi, Genma, Gai, Asuma and Kurenai at Ostray's bar. The bar was a regular haunt for Shinobi and as Lilia walked through the door a wave of nostalgia hit. The bar was lined with Shinobi, some in jonin uniforms, some in chuunin uniforms and some in civilian clothes. Lilia even spotted a few ANBU uniforms though the wearers had forgone the armour and mask. Music played in the background, just loud enough to obscure the conversations of the next table but not loud enough to inhibit them. One wall contained multiple dart boards and a few had shuurikan sticking out of the bullseye.

Lilia and Kassia purchased drinks and chatted briefly with the landlord who had owned the bar since before Lilia was born. Lilia tried not to notice how some of the shinobi at the bar rested a hand in their weapons pouch when she approached.

With drinks in hands the pair found the rest of the group sitting at a booth near the back of the bar. As they approached Genma looked up from the conversation and elbowed Asuma, making them move up so Lilia and Kassia could take a seat. Kassia hung back, letting Lilia take the seat next to Genma. She liked her personal space and being sandwiched between two people was not something Kassia enjoyed.

"So where's Dean today then?" Genma asked, flipping a senbon in between his teeth. "Thought you two were joined at the hip again?"

"He is catching up on sleep." Lilia answered, ignoring the suggestive tone in Genma's voice.

"Been keeping him up have you?" Genma raised an eyebrow at her and grinned. Lilia kept a blank face and sipped her drink.

"Most nights. Though Dean and Kassia try to take shifts, I wouldn't want to wear one of them out."

Genma snorted and Asuma laughed.

"Lilia," Kassia groaned, exasperated. "You really won't help the rumours."

"Well, if they gossip about my love life they don't gossip about my exploits in the Akatsuki."

"There are plenty of rumours about your love life in the Akatsuki." Genma added helpfully.

Lilia grimaced. She had heard a few. "I would rather they speculated on the number of innocents I brutally murdered."

"I don't believe that such a youthful flower could have carried out such heinous acts with a puppet man!" Gai declared loudly enough that Lilia was sure the people in the next booth heard. He stood up, knocking the table. It was lucky they all had fast reflexes or the occupants of the booth would be wearing their drinks.

"Thank you, Gai." Lilia sighed.

"Lilia," Kakashi said, placing his drink back on the table when he was sure Gai had settled down. He was sat at the end of the booth and "I have arranged a training session for tomorrow afternoon if you would like to officially meet Team Seven?"

Grateful for the change of subject, Lilia smiled brightly at him. "Sounds good! What time?"

"Two O'Clock."

"So I should get there at, what, four?"

"I would suggest closer to five." Kakashi answered.

Lilia tutted and shook her head. "You've gotten worse then."

"When you reach my age you often find yourself getting lost on path of life."

"How many times have I heard that one?" Lilia muttered then louder she said, "I am only a few years younger than you."

Kakashi waved a hand dismissively. "Yet I am so much wiser."

"Well this is familiar." Genma interjected as Lilia was about to respond. "I believe around this stage I would suggest you two get a room."

"I would suggest you shove that senbon where the sun doesn't shine." Lilia laughed as she yanked the senbon out of Genma's mouth and with a flick of her wrist, launched it at the nearest dartboard, lodging it deeply in the bullseye. Genma frowned in annoyance.

"That was the only one I have with me." He stood up and made shooing motions to Lilia and Kassia who rose to let him exit the booth. "Next round?"

Everyone ordered their next drink as Lilia and Kassia slid back into the booth, Lilia scooting round to set next to Asuma.

"How are you Lilia?" Kurenai asked, leaning around Asuma to speak to her.

"As well as you can imagine, given the circumstances." Lilia drained her drink in preparation for Genma to return with the next round.

"I heard you were rebuilding the Uchiha compound?"

The conversation carried on from there and flowed long into the night. Every now and then, Lilia would feel a little flush of happiness at how easily the evening was going and how quickly she seemed to have been accepted back into the group. She was under no illusions that it was Kakashi's doing whether he did it on purpose or not. By inviting her out and engaging with her in friendly conversation he had showed everyone he had forgiven her. Kakashi's opinion meant a lot to people and they respected his judgement.

After a quite a few hours and quite a few drinks, Lilia stretched. She had ended up sat next to Kakashi in the booth and had stopped trying to prevent their legs from touching two shots ago.

"I should get going," She announced. "Don't know how much the powers that be will like me being out so late and my minder being quite so inebriated." Kassia was laughing hysterically as Genma stuck cocktail umbrellas in Gai's hair whilst the man lay fast asleep on the table.

"I'll walk back with you." Kakashi offered, sliding out of the booth and sticking his hands in his pockets. Lilia felt a moment of disappointment at the lack of warmth now Kakashi had moved but very quickly placed the thought in the box of 'things that can be attributed to alcohol'.

"Appreciate it." Lilia rose as well and was pleased to note that she was very steady on her feet. She knew she had a high alcohol tolerance but they had drank a lot. Kakashi withdrew the hand he had extended ready to help her keep her balance. Lilia grabbed Kassia's hand and pulled her out of the booth. "Come on, Kass, time to go."

Kassia draped an arm over Lilia's shoulder and allowed herself to be walked out of the bar and towards the compound. Kakashi walked the other side of Kassia, ready to help out if Lilia needed it.

* * *

A/N - Sorry for the delay on this one folks, life got a bit crazy! Anyway, hope you enjoy :D


	14. Chapter 14

CHPATER FOURTEEN

Lilia deposited Kassia in her room where the blonde woman undressed and promptly fell into bed. She then woke Dean up enough to let him know she was back and Kakashi was with her. Dean snorted in surprise and told her to wake him when Kakashi left then fell back to sleep, leaving Kakashi on guard duty. Lilia headed downstairs to where Kakashi was waiting in her living room.

"Some guards those two are. One gets drunk, the other refuses to wake up!" Lilia watched as Kakashi examined her sparsely stocked bookcase.

"You still have a horrible taste in literature I see." Kakashi picked up a well-worn book and held it by its spine between his finger and thumb, as though touching something vile.

"Coming from the man who reads the same three porn books."

"Four, actually."

"Four! Jiraya is still writing that trash?"

"Hey, just because you can't appreciate their well-developed plot lines and characters doesn't make them trash."

"Are you saying my stories have poorly developed plot lines and characters?" She walked over to him and grabbed the book out of his hand, tucking it neatly back on its shelf.

"I wouldn't class man meets woman, woman falls for man, man falls for woman, strife happen to test their love, and love overcomes all as a well-developed plot line. A well-used one perhaps. "

"That is because they are romance novels. Besides, not all of them follow the same story line." Lilia turned her back on him and crossed to the kitchen. "Do you want another drink?"

"If you're going to continue to insist your trashy romance books are in the same league as the Icha Icha series I might need one."

Lilia uncorked a bottle of sake and pulled two glasses from a cupboard. Kakashi took a seat at the island in the kitchen and Lilia slid him a full glass of sake. She turned her back on him and put the bottle back in the cupboard. When she turned around again Lilia was surprised to see Kakashi pulling his mask down to take a big gulp of sake. For a moment her brain misfired and she stared at his throat, watching his Adams apple bob. Then her brain kicked back in.

"Woah, would you warn me when you decide to whip it out." She quipped. Taking a sip of her drink.

"It's nothing you haven't seen before." Kakashi pointed out. It was true, Lilia was one of the privileged few to have seen Kakashi without his mask. It was a testament to how close they had once been. Though he had never divulged the reasons for him wearing one, Lilia had a few theories.

Kakashi was a handsome man, she was sure anyone who saw his face would agree. He had a strong jawline, perfectly sized lips and a nose that despite having been broken more times than she could count, only had a tiny bump in the bridge. The only outstanding feature, if it could even be referred to as such, was the beauty mark just below his lip. Though he liked to refer to it as a mole as that sounded much manlier.

"Well you know, after the whole 'leaving the village and becoming an enemy' debacle I assumed I had lost the privilege." Kakashi shrugged and smiled at her. Lilia's heart skipped a beat at the sight of his slightly lopsided smile. She remembered a time when she had lived for moments like this. Moments when both of them could let down their guards. It would be easy, so easy, to fall back to that. To go back to loving him. But time had moved on and she wouldn't allow herself to be overcome by such silly thoughts.

"That seems a little petty." Kakashi mused. Lilia's mind raced trying to remember what she had said before her mind had run away. "Besides, it is much easier to drink when I am not worried about whether or not you can see my face. Much easier to eat as well." Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow, his hitate still covering his Sharingan.

"Is that a hint?" Lilia laughed. She finished her drink, put the bottle on the table in front of Kakashi who topped himself up and moved around the kitchen, fishing out a saucepan and lid and then digging through the cupboards for ingredients.

Fifteen minutes later Lilia placed a plate in front of Kakashi and one for herself on the island.

"Pasta with cheese and tomato sauce. The ultimate midnight drinking snack, guaranteed to keep away pesky hangovers." She bowed grandly. Kakashi clapped sarcastically. The two shinobi fell silent as they ate. When they had finished Lilia swept the plates away and dumped them in the sink. "I'll wash them up tomorrow." She looked at the clock on the wall and winced. It was nearing two in the morning.

"I should get going." Kakashi said, rising from his seat.

"You're welcome to stay here." Lilia said, offhandedly as she walked into the living room and slumped onto a sofa, placing a hand on her overfull stomach. "I ate far too much," She paused. "There is a spare room so you can have a bed." She added when she saw the dubious look on Kakashi's face.

Really, Kakashi wasn't worried about having a bed, Lilia's sofa looked more comfortable than his own bed. No, Kakashi was worried about how easy the evening had been. How easy it was to make conversation with this woman. He worried about how much he wanted to go and sit with her, to keep talking until the sun came up. Kakashi tried to convince himself that it was the alcohol but he knew it wasn't. With Lilia back it had become harder for Kakashi to keep up the act that he was angry with her, that he hated her.

Of course he had been angry and hurt when she left but if he was being honest with himself, he knew he had let go of most of the anger years ago. When she came back he had been so desperate to still hate her as he knew he could so quickly fall back to her. Her betrayal gave him the excuse to convince himself he didn't want anything to do with her. With that excuse gone, Kakashi found himself unable to stay away.

"Come on, I'll show you the room." Lilia pulled Kakashi from his thoughts as she rose from the sofa, walking up stairs.

Kakashi followed and Lilia took them past two shut doors that he assumed belonged to Kassia and Dean. She opened a third door and moved inside, switching a light on. Kakashi entered the room and looked around. It wasn't large but it certainly wasn't small. A double bed sat in the centre of the room and one wall had two large wardrobes, separated by a chest of drawers. All the furniture looked new and he could still smell the faint scent of paint.

"You're welcome to crash here. I am the last door at the end of the hall, Dean and Kassia are in the two rooms we passed and the bathroom is the next door on the right." Lilia stood in front of the bed and turned to smile at him. Kakashi said nothing, he simply nodded.

"Ok then. See you in the morning." Lilia walked passed him, briefly placing a hand on his bicep, and left the room. Kakashi only let out the breath he had been holding when he heard the soft click of her bedroom door opening and closing. He sighed and sat on the bed, rubbing a hand across his face.

It would have been so easy to kiss her.

* * *

The next morning Kakashi awoke to the smell of cooking bacon and eggs. He rolled on his side and looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It was just before eight in the morning. Kakashi groaned and rolled out of bed. He really should remember that he wasn't as capable at dealing with the aftermath of drinking as he used to be. Wrinkling his nose, he realized he had slept in his clothes. Now he would have to go back to his home before meeting the team later that day. Kakashi pulled his mask up over his nose, left his hitate where it was on the bedside table and headed downstairs.

Lilia was in the kitchen, dumping a pile of bacon and eggs onto two plates. She was dressed in a pair of loose fitting trousers and a vest top, her long hair was wet and tied into a messy bun.

"How are you so alive?" Kakashi groaned as he took a seat at the island. A cup of strong smelling coffee was shoved under his nose.

"Three sugars." Lilia said brightly. Kakashi grunted in surprise that she had remembered. "I suppose those few years between us makes all the difference when it comes to hangovers."

"It's not a hangover but the lack of sleep. It's only eight and I take it from your wet hair you have been up long enough to have already showered." Ignoring how hot the coffee was, Kakashi pulled his mask down and took a large sip.

"I have been up for about an hour already." Kakashi looked at her in surprise and Lilia shrugged. "I don't need much sleep."

Lilia placed a pile of bread on the island and pushed an empty plate toward him.

"I'm about to go and wake up Dean and Kass, it will probably take me a while so you might as well start eating." With that Lilia left the room and headed upstairs leaving Kakashi to place a few pieces of bacon between two slices of bread. He began eating, lost in his thoughts.

One thing Kakashi didn't suffer with was memory loss. No matter how much he drank he would always remember the night before with perfect clarity. That meant he could recall how much he had enjoyed talking with Lilia and how much he had wanted to kiss her. Attempting to examine his behavior logically, Kakashi decided it was simply too much alcohol that had been the cause of the feelings. Alcohol mixed with confusion over what their relationship was. Were they friends? Were they team mates? Were the acquaintances being forced to be civil?

A loud bang sounded from upstairs. Kakashi finished the last bite of his sandwich and replaced his mask as Dean trudged down the stairs. The large man looked half asleep still and Kakashi rose as he entered the kitchen, pouring a cup of coffee from the freshly brewed pot.

"Sugar?" He asked and Dean nodded, sitting in the chair Kakashi had vacated. Kakashi added a spoonful of sugar to the coffee and popped the cup in front of the man who crossed his arms on the island and lay his head on them.

Lilia entered the kitchen a short while later.

"Kassia won't be joining us for a while." There was a hint of laughter in her voice.

"She that bad?" Dean asked, finally sitting up straight and taking a sip of his coffee.

"Yeah, I have given her a big glass of water but not sure that it going to help anything." Lilia sat down at the island and placed a fried egg between two pieces of bread. Kakashi was certain they would have gone cold but Lilia didn't seem to mind. Dead helped himself to bacon before finally seeming to realize Kakashi was there.

He paused in his sandwich making and looked up sharply. Dean looked first to Kakashi and then to Lilia and back again. Kakashi raised an eyebrow and looked at Lilia who rolled her eyes and glared at Dean.

"Separate beds, don't start." Dean opened his mouth to comment but Lilia threw a piece of bread at him. Dean, wisely, remained silent but smirked at Lilia. Considering Kakashi's earlier confusion he didn't feel he wanted to be a part of this speculation. Lilia obviously felt the same way as she rose as soon as she had finished her breakfast. "Dean, keep an eye on Kass, I'm going to go to the stream to read for a little while." She dumped her plate in the sink and Kakashi noticed the plates from last night were still sat there. She always was a bit messy.

Lilia wandered into the living room and grabbed the book Kakashi had pulled out last night from the bookshelf. She glanced over at Kakashi.

"Do you want to come? There is a beautiful spot a bit further into the compound that is perfect for reading."

Kakashi shrugged. "Sure." He had plenty of time to kill now that he was awake. Lilia offered to wait for him whilst he went back upstairs and collected his hitate and book.

* * *

Lilia's reading spot was perfect. It was far enough removed from the village that little of the everyday noise could reach it and what little did was drowned out by the gentle sounds of the stream flowing. They sat on the grass in the shade of a tree, both with their backs leant against the trunk.

They stayed there for hours, enjoying being comfortable enough with someone else that conversation wasn't necessary. Eventually Dean and Kassia tracked them down and joined them. Neither of them read but just lay in the sun, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere.

Kakashi was almost disappointed when Lilia reminded him they were due at the training ground in a couple of hours. He was surprised how quickly the time had gone.

"Ah, I should probably go home then. I need to get changed and I wouldn't want to be late." Kakashi snapped his book shut and rose.

Lilia snorted a laugh. "Uh-huh." Kakashi offered a hand and Lilia grabbed it, using it to help pull her up. She sprang lightly to her feet and dusted herself off. "I'm going to make some lunch. Do you want some?"

Kakashi's stomach rumbled and Lilia laughed. He rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly at her, closing his eye. "Some lunch would be lovely."

"Yes, please!" Came the chorus from Dean and Kassia. They didn't move to get up from their spots in the sun, however.

"I assumed you two would want food." Lilia folded over the corner of her page to mark it. Kakashi couldn't help but wince. He hated it when people did that to books. Lilia either didn't see him wince or decided to ignore it. Most likely the latter. "If you guys want food you better come back to the house." She turned in the direction of the house and started walking.

Kakashi followed.

* * *

A/N - Hope you are all still enjoy the story! I appreciate all the love from you guys it makes me feel fuzzy :) please leave me a review, I love reading what you think!

\- Quinn Thomas


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Training with Team Seven was interesting. It was a team of contrasts, where Naruto was loud, Sai was silent. Where Sakura was strength, Kakashi was subtle. They worked harmoniously together and Lilia felt a little guilty for interrupting that.

Dean sat at the edge of the training field alongside Genma who was standing in for Kassia whilst she slept off the rest of her hangover or 'recover from a freak bout of sickness and stomach upset' as she had told Ibiki.

Lilia had spent the first hour sparring with each of the team members, except Kakashi who she had already fought. She had won against Naruto, Sai and Sakura though doing so had thoroughly tested her endurance abilities. The following hour was spent playing with team formations to include Lilia and her abilities. The most effective combination seemed to be pairing her with Naruto as he was the opposite of her in most ways. Naruto's approach was to rush in and get close to the enemy, overwhelming them with his power. This would allow Lilia to remain at a distance and distract the enemy from her whilst she used her plethora of long ranged jutsu to back up Naruto.

Towards the end of the session Naruto had the bright idea of setting up a capture the flag style sparring match. His suggestion was him, Sakura and Sai versus the old ones. The match went as can be expected with Kakashi and Lilia emerging as the clear victors. What surprised Lilia was not the outcome of the match but the way in which she and Kakashi were able to work together.

It was seamless, as though they were able to read one another's mind. It wasn't just the Sharingan that allowed them to work so well together but Lilia found herself knowing Kakashi's moves from a second of eye contact or the way in which his posture changed. She knew his tells and he knew hers.

"You two make an awesome team." Dean commented as walked over to where Lilia was sat on the grass, out of breath, and Kakashi reclined casually nearby. Infuriatingly, he didn't seem even slightly out of breath and was reading as though that was all he had been doing for the afternoon.

Dean stood behind her and looked down as Naruto, Sai and Sakura walked towards them and collapsed on the floor. Lilia was gratified to see they were just as out of breath as she.

"Jealous?" She craned her neck back to look up at him and grinned.

Dean chuckled. "Very."

"Knew it! Told you the rumours were true, Sakura." Naruto gloated from his sprawled position on the ground. Lilia raised an eyebrow and looked over at him.

"What rumours?"

"That you and Dean are together. I told Sakura that of course it was true, you guys spend all your time together."

"You spend all your time with Sakura and Sai, does that mean you're in a relationship?" Lilia quipped. Naruto's ears went red and he stammered.

"They are just team mates, Naruto and besides, Dean and Kassia are Lilia's guards. They have to spend all their time together." Sakura scolded him.

"Yeah, but, I saw them hug and Dean said he loved her when he left the hospital the other day!" Naruto argued.

"I have been led to believe you can love someone as a friend and not as a potential life partner." Sai pitched in helpfully.

"Guys, Dean and I are not in a relationship!" Lilia interjected loudly.

"Don't think Nao would be too pleased if we were." Dean chuckled.

"Nao?" Naruto asked.

Dean smiled and held his stare. "Nao. My boyfriend."

There was a moment of silence until Naruto exploded. "Boyfriend? Wait, you're GAY?"

"Naruto!" Sakura smacked him around the head.

"But you're just so..." Naruto broke off and instead held his arms up, flexing the muscles and puffing his cheeks out.

Dean scowled and crossed his arms. "What does my physical appearance have to do with my sexuality?"

"Nothing." Sakura glared at Naruto as she spoke. "Isn't that right, Naruto?"

"Well, yeah, I just wasn't expecting it." Naruto looked so embarrassed that Lilia was struggling not to laugh. Naruto turned to Kakashi. "Did you know?"

Lilia had almost forgotten Kakashi was there. Kakashi just shrugged and continued reading, not giving anything away. Lilia had never questioned whether Kakashi knew Dean was gay. Probably not, it wasn't something Dean broadcast and his seven year relationship with ANBU captain Nao was kept fairly quiet. Though if Nao had had his way they would have been very publically married by now.

She glanced at Dean. "You know that now you've told Naruto, everyone will know you're gay."

"It was going to come out sooner or later." Dean paused and scowled at Lilia who had started laughing.

"Sorry but I know you meant that as a pun." When he said nothing Lilia continued. "You know, coming out-"

"Anyway." Dean interrupted but Lilia caught the hint of a smile. "Nao has been very patient with me and I know he would rather we were public so…" He trailed off with a shrug.

"I would like to clarify my understanding of something." Everyone turned to Sai who had been silent up to that point. Sakura looked nervous. "The term 'gay', this means you are a man who prefers the romantic company of another man – is that correct?"

"That's correct." Dean said cautiously.

Sai nodded. "I have read about such people but do not fully understand why they chose to be gay?"

"I didn't chose to be gay, I was born gay. I simply made the decision not to deceive myself."

"How can you be certain you prefer men to women if you have never been with a woman?" Sai pressed.

To everyone's surprise Dean laughed. "Who said I have never been with a woman?" He glanced at Lilia out of the corner of his eye. She could feel her face turn red as everyone else looked at her as well. Even Kakashi seemed momentarily distracted from his book.

"This is a story I have to hear." Kakashi snapped his book shut and looked at Lilia expectantly.

"It's not much of a story." Lilia protested. When no one said anything she huffed. "Fine. Years ago when Dean and I had just made ANBU we were sent on a mission to gather intelligence from a… person." Lilia struggled to think of what to call him without giving away information about a very, very classified mission. "The plan was that I get close enough to him to use the Sharingan to get the information and then make him forget we had ever been there. The issue with that was his paranoia. His guards would follow him everywhere and the only chance I would have to be alone with him was…"

"During adult activities." Dean finished helpfully. Lilia scowled at him.

"Thank you, Dean. I'm sure they needed that specified. Anyway, we were maybe seventeen at the time and I was, well I was 'inexperienced'."

"She was a virgin." Dean added.

"Yes, thank you, Dean. I was rather nervous about the whole thing but it was a mission and you do what you must for the success of a mission. I was adamant, however, that I was not going to lose my virginity to this… person."

"So being the chivalrous gentleman I am, I stepped up to save the day."

"If you could call it stepping up. The whole thing was as awkward as you could expect and then when it was done Dean looked me dead in the eye and very bluntly told me he was gay." Naruto and Sakura burst out laughing and even Kakashi chuckled.

"I was simply being honest. Besides, I am pretty certain you knew I was gay before." Dean sniffed.

"I did not! You were deep in your denial stage and I had no idea." Lilia crossed her arms. "Did great things for my ego. First time having sex and I turn the guy gay!"

"Well you've not managed it since so maybe it was a one-time super power." Dean said, laughing.

"That I know of! It's not like I've kept in contact with all of them so who knows." Lilia sighed despondently.

Dean nudged her. "Would you like me to treat you to dinner to make up for it? Nao gets back from his two month long mission tonight so I was thinking the three of us and Kass could go out?"

"No, I don't want to crash your date. Enjoy your meal with Nao."

"Well since I am supposed to be guarding you, a romantic date isn't going to happen unless you're there."

"I can step in?" Kakashi offered. "I don't expect anyone would have an issue with me acting as guard for a night."

"Perfect!" Lilia exclaimed happily. "Then you and Nao can go out and celebrate his return."

"Thanks, man." Dean said, clapping Kakashi on the shoulder as the white haired man walked over to join them.

Kakashi nodded and looked at Lilia. He didn't have to say anything.

"Yeah, yeah I'll cook dinner." Lilia sighed. "Would you three like to join us as well?" She asked the rest of Team Seven.

"Hell yeah!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically whilst Sai and Sakura nodded a polite 'thank you'.

That evening Team Seven, Kassia and Lilia all crowded into Lilia's living room and ate their way through the mountain of food that Lilia had prepared. At one point Lilia paused in her eating and looked at the people around her. For the first time in over five years, she felt truly happy. The only thing marring her happiness was the fate of her brothers. She had sent a message to Itachi the previous day and she could only hope that wherever Sasuke was, he was ok.

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A/N: I have been a very bad updater and I am very, very, very sorry! I will endeavour to do better in the future! Thank you to everyone who has followed/favourited the story so far and to all who have reviewed - it is much appreciated! :)

\- Quinn Thomas


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: I don't normally do notes before chapters but the story begins to cross into the canon now. I have stuck with the 'official' timeline in as much as the people who die, however, as you will see things maybe don't follow exactly. I'm calling artistic license with this one. Anyway, I figured I would upload another chapter today as an apology for the delay with the last one and since the last one was quite a short chapter. Enjoy!

-Quinn Thomas

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The next five months passed in a bit of a whirl for Lilia and the time was fast approaching when she would be taken off of probation. The Hokage had already spoken to her about where she might want to be placed following her probation and, despite knowing how unlikely it was, Lilia requested she return to ANBU – it was where her skills were best suited.

For the time being Lilia had been given her new hitate and had completed multiple missions with Team Seven. Naruto couldn't have been happier to have Lilia on Team Seven. With the additional member and their perfect success rate, they had been given a few A-class missions.

"This is so boring!" Naruto complained, flopping back onto the bed. The team had been sent to a large town called Tachi to rid the place of some difficult rouge nins who had been looting stores and generally causing chaos. The mission brief was vague but it sounded as though a ring leader was using the nins to do his dirty work.

"Not all A-class missions are exciting." Kakashi lectured from his seat in the corner of the room. The whole team had crowded into one room of the motel they were staying at to plan their next move. The mission's budget only afforded two rooms so the boys were all sharing one and Lilia and Sakura had the other. Lilia perched on the edge of the bed next to Naruto. The only reason this mission was A-class was because of the number of unknown factors. It was not likely to be the exciting mission Naruto had been hoping for.

"What's our next move?" She asked. Looking at Kakashi who sighed and snapped his book shut. Kakashi slid his hitate up and rubbed a hand over his eyes. He was tired. They all were. The journey had been long and uneventful so there was little to distract them from the lack of sleep.

"Is the Sharingan bothering you?" Sakura was in medic mode before she had even reached Kakashi. She opened his eyelid and instructed him to look in various directions. Kakashi obeyed with a long suffering expression. Sakura placed a hand on his temple and it glowed green.

Sakura had been studying Lilia's Sharingan for the past few months and had come to the conclusion that it was indeed the Byakugan that prevented Lilia from suffering with the blindness and issues that accompanied the over use of the Kekkei Genkei. Sakura had also been able to plot exactly how the chakra pathways and optical nerve differed from those found in regular eyes and Kakashi's transplant. It had helped her to work out how to help prevent Kakashi's eye from degrading as fast and Sakura was hopeful she would be able to 'wire' the Sharingan so as to enable Kakashi to switch it off.

When Sakura had finished she stepped away and Kakashi, keeping the Sharingan shut, looked at Lilia with his regular eye. She and Kakashi had become close again over the last few months. It was rare that a day would go by that she wouldn't see him, especially now they were on the same team. She found herself looking forward to the time they spent together, even if it was just sitting together and reading.

What was complicating matters was the attraction she felt towards him. When Lilia and Kakashi were alone together he rarely felt the need to wear his mask. That was fine with Lilia but it did mean she couldn't deny how attracted she was to him. Matters were made worse last week when Lilia had left her room at the same time as Kakashi had left the bathroom after a shower.

It had been a very rainy day but they had decided it was no excuse not to train. Their spar had left both of them covered in wet mud and with the kind of chill that feels as though it is in ones bones. Lilia had suggested Kakashi use the shower at hers as it was much closer than Kakashi's place and he wouldn't have to walk through town looking as though someone had thoroughly beat him, though 'someone' had. Kakashi had accepted and graciously offered to allow Lilia to go first. When she was done in the shower, Lilia got changed in her room whilst Kakashi used up the rest of the hot water.

When he emerged from the bathroom he had nearly bumped into Lilia as she was leaving her room. Kakashi had had a towel wrapped around his waist and nothing else on. Instead of standing and staring at him or jumping him, as had been her first thought, Lilia had crossed her arms, very obviously looked him up and down and then walked passed him.

"My abs are better than yours." She commented. Although she had brushed the encounter off, she had definitely felt a coil of arousal when she had looked at him. The coil was made worse by Kakashi's chuckle as he walked into what had become his room.

Bringing her back to the present, Kakashi said: "I think we need to speak to the Mayor and find out more about who we are up against. What are your thoughts, Lilia?"

"I'm with you." Lilia frowned slightly as she thought. "The few names we have, they are not names I recall. If the Akatsuki haven't been involved with them I would suggest that they are not a very powerful group. If we speak to the Mayor we might be able to plot when and where the group will strike next."

Kakashi and Lilia left shortly after to go and find the Mayor. It was decided it would be better for just two of them to go. The other three would wander around Tachi and see what information they could get from locals.

"So where will you go when you finish your probation?" Kakashi asked, conversationally. They were slowly making their way through the town and for once, Kakashi didn't have his nose buried in his book.

"I have requested to be put back in ANBU but I don't know if that will happen." Lilia looked at Kakashi. "Ideally I would like to be back on a team with Dean and Kassia but I'm not that fortunate!"

"ANBU, huh? Have you not thought about teaching?"

Lilia laughed. "Yeah like they would let me teach! Besides, I don't think I would be very good at it. Don't have the patience."

"What about joining a team outside of ANBU? You could always stay on in Team Seven."

Lilia raised an eyebrow at him. "You already have four members. I've been wondering as well, shouldn't you be Team Kakashi? Why are you still using the genin team name?"

Kakashi's exposed eye creased in a smile. "I felt Team Kakashi was a bit too self-important."

"Oh yes because you've always been ever so modest." Lilia said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Now-a-days I often feel I am playing catch up with my own team. Naruto surpassed me in power a while ago and Sakura has found her calling in healing – something I know very little about. I suppose calling it Team Kakashi just didn't feel right."

"The younger generations keep getting stronger don't they? If it makes you feel any better I can throw our next sparring match?" Lilia nudged Kakashi who ignored her.

The conversation lapsed into a comfortable silence after that until the pair tracked down the Mayor of Tachi. He was a short man, only a few inches taller than Lilia, with a receding hairline and glasses that took up most of his face. The Mayor explained that the leader of the group, known only as Oji, often frequented one of the high end clubs in the center of Tachi most evenings. According to the Mayor, Oji hired the rogue nins as bodyguards and often used them to collect money owed to him. Often, if the money was late, Oji would instruct the nins to cause as much havoc as they could. The Mayor handed Kakashi an envelope containing CCTV pictures of Oji and some of his men.

Kakashi and Lilia left the Mayor with assurances the problem would be taken care of and returned to the room to find out what the others had learned. It turned out to be very little, most of the folk living in Tachi seemed too scared of what might happen to them if they spoke out against Oji.

"It seems that if we dispose of Oji, the problem will resolve itself." Sai suggested.

"It seems that way, yes." Kakashi agreed. He opened the envelope the Mayor had given him earlier and pulled out the pictures. He studied them for a minute before passing the photos to Lilia. "Everyone take a good look at these. The quality isn't the best but the Mayor has identified the first photo as Oji."

Lilia took the photos and stared down at the top one. The photo was black and white and grainy but in it she could make out a man who looked to be in his thirties. He had short, dark hair that had obviously been meticulously styled to look as though he had just rolled out of bed. A shadow of stubble covered his jaw and he wore a shirt with the first few buttons undone. Although the angle of the photo made it hard to see his body, Lilia knew he was tall. She also knew that under his shirt he was all lean muscle.

"Shit." Lilia cursed. Everyone in the room turned to stare at her. She handed the photos to Sakura who was sat next to her and sighed. "I know him. His real name is Adachi Oji, at least, that was the name he gave me."

"And how exactly do you know him?" Kakashi asked.

"I may have had a bit of a fling with him a year or so ago." Lilia said, grimacing. She noticed Sakura watching her. "Hey, don't give me that look! It's hard to meet people when you work for an organization like the Akatsuki."

"He's a criminal." Sakura pointed out.

"So was I." Lilia retorted. "Besides, it was just casual sex. No strings attached, that sort of thing."

Sakura looked mildly horrified. Kakashi cleared his throat.

"Will you be ok to continue the mission?" He asked her seriously.

Lilia fought the urge to laugh. "I think I'll just about cope. Besides this might actually work to our advantage. I expect by now word has gotten out that I left the Akatsuki so I don't think I could convince him to leave in that way, however, I should still be able to get close enough to him that I can separate him from his guards then use the Sharingan to convince him he wants to leave."

"No way!" Naruto argued. "What are we gunna do then? At least let us beat him up!"

"Actually, Lilia's suggestion makes the most sense. If we intimidate him or make him leave though force he could come back and take revenge on the town." Sakura sounded reluctant to be agreeing with a plan that essentially involved seduction.

Everyone looked to their team leader who looked skeptical. In truth, Kakashi knew it was a reasonable plan but his logical side was being over taken by some conflicting emotions. In the end he simply shrugged, not betraying any of his internal thoughts.

"It's a plan. We will go to the club this evening and wait for him to arrive. Sakura, Sai, Naruto and I will stake it out and make sure we have eyes on Lilia in case something goes wrong. Lilia you approach him and see if you can get him outside the club, alone." Everyone nodded in agreement.

A few hours later, Kakashi was in his place inside the club. Whilst Naruto, Sakura and Sai tried to blend into the crowd, Kakashi had taken himself to the second floor and stood on a balcony that overlooked the main bar area and dance floor. Lilia was seated at the bar, chatting to the bartender as any other patron would.

All of them had brought civilian clothes but Lilia's outfit wasn't suitable for blending into a club. She had gone out earlier in the afternoon and purchased what she had deemed an appropriate outfit. Kakashi wasn't sure he agreed. The outfit consisted of a black dress that hugged every curve and cut off just above the knees whilst the top was cut in a low 'v'. Looking around, Kakashi supposed it was one of the more modest and plain ones but on Lilia is was simply stunning. Perhaps the dress had been appropriate but he would never concede that the shoes were. They added at least four inches to her height and the fact she could walk in them was impressive in Kakashi's eyes.

"Target just walked through the door." Sai's voice came through the ear piece Kakashi was wearing.

"Eyes on." Kakashi commanded and switched the channel of the ear pieces to sync with Lilia's.

"It's from the gentleman in the blue shirt." Kakashi heard a male voice say through the microphone Lilia was wearing.

"Well, please give him my thanks." Lilia replied. Kakashi looked down to where she was sitting and saw the bartender move away. He also noticed that from his vantage point he could see down the front of her dress. He looked away quickly but couldn't help looking back again. He chided himself for getting distracted. Friends don't look at other friend's breasts, no matter how good they looked in that dress.

"Targets in." Kakashi said. Lilia raised a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear and crossed her middle finger over her index as she did. It was their sign that everything was ok and she could hear him. Kakashi instructed the others to keep chatter on the radio to a minimum then fell silent as he watched their target approach the bar.

He stood a little way from Lilia and ordered a drink. As soon as the bartender had taken his order, Oji looked up and down the bar, clearly checking out the women. Kakashi saw him grin as his eyes found Lilia and he immediately made his way over to her.

"So what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?" The line crackled slightly as Oji leaned into Lilia and spoke in a low tone. Naruto made a gagging noise.

"You know, that line didn't work for you the first time we met either."

"So it was my sparkling personality that enticed you in?"

"Yes, definitely your… personality." Lilia made a point of looking Oji up and down and then smirking slightly.

Oji laughed and sat on the bar stool next to her, turning it so he faced her directly and his knee bumped against hers. This put his back to Kakashi.

"How are you, Lilia? I heard you ditched the Akatsuki and went back to the Leaf village – get bored of being a bad girl?" His tone was heavy with suggestion.

"It's no fun being bad all the time." Lilia answered in kind.

Oji laughed. "So tell me, what brings you to Tachi?"

"You, actually."

"Oh? I'm flattered."

"You should be. I had business nearby and heard that you were here. Thought I would see if you're still as 'skilled' as you used to be."

Kakashi didn't need to see Oji's face to know the man would be checking Lilia out. He felt a flash of anger and what he could only describe as jealousy. Kakashi shoved the thought away. He had come to the conclusion over the last few months that Lilia was, once again, his closest friend; despite his weak efforts to maintain some amount of distance. A friend that he happened to think was quite beautiful and very sexy. But that was as far as the feelings went. Relationships in the shinobi world were messy. There was too much risk of death and too many issues if one partner had to take missions that involved the sort of thing Lilia was doing right now. It was why Kakashi had only had short flings and never a long relationship. It was why Kakashi ignored any jealous thoughts he had and refocused on what was being said.

"Well I am very flattered you sought me out." Oji placed a hand on Lilia's thigh. "I won't pretend I haven't thought about you." His voice dropped an octave and his hand moved higher. "Tell me, can you still do that thing with your leg?"

"If we leave you can find out." Lilia rose gracefully from the stool and took hold of the hand that had been resting on her thigh. "Same rules as before though, no one knows."

As they walked through the club towards the exit Oji gestured to multiple men who started to follow, motioning for them to remain where they were. They backed off, obviously more than happy to be given the night off. That was good, it meant the men were more loyal to the money than Oji.

"I'm following." Sakura whispered into her mic and she casually followed the couple out of the club. Kakashi hurried after them a moment later. The mic had gone silent from Lilia's end.

Kakashi emerged from the club and saw Lilia and Oji a short way ahead of him. He followed, being sure to look at the ground and mask his chakra. Oji was a ninja and they didn't want to risk tipping him off.

"My hotel is down here." Lilia said, her voice in Kakashi's ear through the earpiece. She turned and led Oji into the preplanned alleyway.

"What the-" Oji's sentence was cut off with an 'oof'. Kakashi sped up and rounded the corner of the alley just behind Sakura. Lilia had pinned Oji up against the wall. She had her Sharingan activated and Oji was looking directly into her eyes.

"Sorry, you really were quite fun." Lilia said as the Sharingan started spinning. She said nothing and after a couple of minutes her Sharingan was reflected in Oji's eyes. A moment later it had vanished and Oji collapsed. Kakashi walked towards them.

"Done?" He asked.

Lilia deactivated her Sharingan and smiled at him. "Done. He will not remember this part of the night, he will simply believe we went back to my hotel, he got drunk and then tried to leave and passed out. Then tomorrow he will have the unexplainable urge to leave town and repent his ways or something bad will happen."

"That's really quite terrifying." Sakura muttered. "That you can make people do what you want like that."

Lilia shrugged. "It doesn't work on everyone, only those who are weak willed and easily manipulated anyway." They continued walking through the alleyway and met up with Naruto and Sai the other side. Together they headed back to their motel.

"That was way too easy." Naruto moaned.

"Speak for yourself!" Lilia retorted. "I don't see you in pair of stilettos."

"That is an unpleasant image." Sai muttered.

Back at the motel they all gathered in the girls room again for a debrief. Lilia disappeared into the bathroom and returned a moment later wearing a vest top and pyjama bottoms.

"So who else found that painfully awkward?" Lilia asked, dumping the heels on top of her pack. Everyone nodded. "Oh, good. Was worried it was just me."

"Well, no matter how awkward it was the mission is complete." Kakashi pointed out.

"Yeah, I want to stay until tomorrow evening though, just to be sure he does leave." Lilia stood next to the chair Kakashi was sitting in and crossed her arms.

"Do you think there is a chance he won't?" Kakashi asked. When Lilia had explained the technique earlier it had sounded fairly foolproof.

Lilia looked down at him and smiled. "No I am certain he will but it is better to be safe than sorry. We should also make sure the rest of the rogue nin leave with him."

"Lilia," Naruto sounded thoughtful, never a good sign. "What did that guy mean about 'the thing with your leg'?"

"Naruto, it's probably best not to ask that." Sakura scolded him.

Kakashi looked at Lilia, expecting her to look mildly embarrassed. Instead she looked amused.

"It's nothing dirty it's a reference to my flexibility." Without any further warning Lilia lifted her leg up and held it so her knee was alongside her head in a perfect standing splits. Kakashi looked away, he could imagine why that would be interesting to Oji.

"Woah, I wanna do that!" Naruto exclaimed. He kicked his leg up and promptly fell over.

Lilia placed her leg back down and laughed. "It takes quite a bit of practice, Naruto."

"Anyway. I think it is time we all got some sleep. We will stay here tomorrow and make sure the rouge nin have cleared out and head home tomorrow evening." Kakashi rose and walked towards the door, Sai and Naruto following.

"Night guys." Lilia called after them.

The next day the group watched from the roof of their motel as Oji and his rouge nin's cleared out of the village.

"Perhaps we should have killed him?" Lilia muttered to Kakashi. Kakashi had his back to the streets below, leaning on the railing that prevented non-ninja roof-goers from falling to their death. Lilia was watching Oji as he made his way through the streets of Tachi, leaning on the railing next to Kakashi.

"That wasn't our mission." Kakashi responded, looking at Lilia out of the corner of his exposed eye. He had noticed that Lilia was very good at keeping herself out of his blind spot, it seemed almost instinctual.

"I know it wasn't but what if he goes and does the same thing to another town?" She looked genuinely concerned and Kakashi melted. He shut the book he had been reading, turned around and stepped around her, keeping her out of his blind spot. He crossed his arms on the railing and mirrored her stance, letting his elbow rest against hers.

"You planted the suggestion that he change his ways didn't you?" Kakashi asked gently, watching Lilia's face. She grimaced slightly.

"Well yes but I can't guarantee the compulsion will hold permanently. Oji is susceptible to suggestion but he isn't completely weak willed – I would never have been with him if he was!"

There was that flash of jealousy again. It was ridiculous really. He had absolutely no claim to her and could hardly condemn her for sleeping with other men when he himself had been with multiple women both before and after Lilia had left the village.

"It wasn't our job to kill him, only to ensure he left this town in peace." Kakashi could see Naruto and Sai bickering a little way behind Lilia. Sakura was trying to split them up. He should really go and help. "So, any other criminal ex-boyfriends I should be aware of?"

"Jealous, Hatake?" Lilia said slyly.

"Not at all. I would just prefer not to be blindsided again." He lied smoothly.

"Uh-huh," Lilia looked thoughtful. "I can't promise we won't bump into anymore but I promise to give you as much notice as possible. That's Oji and his cronies gone, shall we head home?"

Kakashi nodded and left Lilia to go and split up the bickering trio.

When the team arrived home Kakashi knew something wasn't right straight away. The village was quiet despite it being early afternoon and a thick air seemed to hang over it.

"Izumo, what happened?" Kakashi asked one of the men standing guard on the gate.

"You haven't heard?" Izumo asked, looking at Kotetsu.

"Asuma is dead. He was killed by the Akatsuki." Kotetsu answered, looking at the ground.

Before Kakashi could react he heard a sharp intake of breath from Lilia and she dashed off into the village.

Lilia didn't bother knocking. She opened the front door of the apartment and looked around.

"Kurenai?" She called. Although the pair kept it a secret, most had their suspicions about the true relationship between Asuma and Kurenai. Lilia was fairly sure she was the only one who currently knew the full extent.

"Lilia?" The voice that replied was hoarse and broken. Lilia followed it into the bedroom where the red eyed woman was knelt on the floor.

"Kurenai, I just heard. I'm so sorry." Lilia dropped her pack in the doorway and knelt next to the woman.

"I don't- Lilia I'm-" Kurenai wrapped her arms around her mid-section.

"I know. I saw when you watched me spar with Asuma." A few weeks ago Asuma had challenged Lilia and in the course of the battle her Sharingan had picked up an anomaly in the watching Kurenai's chakra. "It's Asuma's?"

Kurenai nodded. She looked into Lilia's eyes, her own filling with unshed tears. "What am I going to do?" Kurenai whispered.

"You have us. You have all of us. We will do everything we can to support you." Lilia reassured the other woman. Kurenai broke and sobbed into her hands. Lilia reached over and pulled her into a tight hug. Kurenai twisted and sobbed into Lilia's chest.


End file.
